Wander
by Evelos
Summary: Because healing isn't easy, and neither is letting go. Sequel to Anomalies.
1. Chapter 1

A gentle breeze shook the ferns beside the river, while the water rippled quietly beneath the dappled shadow of the canopy. A pair of footsteps padded softly over the sandy hill, and a figure soon knelt down beside the stream, dipping a clay pitcher beneath the surface.

The undergrowth rustled, and a bright pair of eyes soon peered out from the forest, before a second set of footsteps began to make their way down to the shore.

Pulling back the water-filled pottery, a young woman glanced over her shoulder, but she could see nothing amiss. "Hello?"

She received no reply but the whistling breeze. After a moment, the woman turned back to the river, but she tensed when something sharp prodded at her shoulder, and she jerked away, failing, only to grimace after a moment of panic. "That is _not_ funny!"

A young man grinned, leaning on his spear. "It's _pretty_ hilarious from where I'm standing..!"

The woman hissed as she tossed a handful of water at him, but he only laughed, hoisting his spear from the sand.

"Hey, everyone's already on edge, and you're only making it worse!" The woman scowled as she began to pick up the clay pot from the sand. "I _still_ think that we should've set up further north; this area is _far_ too unpredictable." She glared at the man while adjusting the bowl in her arms. "The elders said to stay alert, you know."

The man shrugged, raising his spear to lay it over his shoulders. "They're just a bit spooked; you don't _honestly_ think that there's anything supernatural out there?" He smiled and shook his head. "Someone probably just got drunk, or made it up..."

The woman rolled her eyes as she began to haul the pitcher up from the shore. "Well, _I'm_ not taking any chances." She paused after a moment, turning around to stare at her companion. "Aren't you-"

The man stood stark still, his spear raised. "Look."

The woman squinted, before her eyes went wide with a gasp.

A pair of vibrant, orange eyes stared out at them from the undergrowth, while a set of clawed hand-prints rested upon the sand beside them. Water dripped down from an unmoving mouth as twin nostrils flared above.

The woman blinked, and the creature was gone.

* * *

Fang stretched out her legs, flexing her claws back and forth. She let out a long yawn, before she moved to shake out her hair, simultaneously running her hands between each dark lock with a sigh.

Her ears twitched after a moment, and Fang opened her eyes. "Back so soon?"

Lightning sat beside her, gazing over at the forest below. "They saw me... Again."

Fang's shoulders stiffened, before she shrugged with anther yawn. "So? It's not like they can do much about it." She stood up, walking over to balance beside the edge of the cliff. "I doubt even another Yun could take on one of us..."

Lightning tilted her head slightly. "You were going to explain that, the other day..."

Fang sat down beside the edge, dangling her legs over the mossy stone. "It was my title. Still is, in a way."

Lightning sat down as well, with her ears pricked.

Fang took a deep breath, gazing down at the tiny settlement that lay off in the distance. "The Yun are warriors... _Were_ warriors, long ago." While she could barely make out the village buildings, a thin plume of smoke rose high above the canopy. "Some of us were trained since we were young, but it was really just for tradition." Fang laughed, shaking her head. "Imagine that... A bunch of Yun going up against something like Cocoon." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "They'd be gunned down in seconds."

Lightning nodded, but her gaze was distant. "You still learned how to fight."

Fang nodded as well. "Good thing, too..." She leaned back, staring at the sky. "We were mostly hunters, providing for the rest of the group."

Lightning followed her gaze. "Was Vanille..?"

Fang took a deep breath. "Vanille was-" She paused, tilting her back back down. "Alone. Last of her village, living with an adoptive tribe."

Lightning kept silent for a while, before she closed her eyes. "And you stayed together?"

Fang fought the urge to grit her teeth. "Yeah." She rose to her feet, attempting to steady her voice. "I'm gonna take a nap."

Lightning watched as Fang turned, walking over to a small cavern that lay within the rock.

Fang looked back after a moment, and she let out a long sigh. "Sorry, it's just hard to talk about, now..." She made a short effort to relax, before her shoulders drooped slightly. "Come with me?"

Lightning nodded, rising to her feet. "I need to add to the count, anyway."

Fang rolled her eyes as they entered the cave. "What're we up to?"

Lightning walked over to one of the walls, and she held up her hand to scrape at the rock. "Two years, six months..." She pulled her fingers back, wrinkling her nose at the sediment upon her claw. "Three days."

Fang's eyes widened. "Two _years_..." She flopped back against a pile of leaves and moss, curling up against the soft material. "Feels like it was just yesterday."

Lightning looked up at the impressive collection of tally marks, which nearly covered the wall. "I know." She glanced over at the mouth of the cave. "I'm just surprised that we've gone this long without anyone finding us."

Fang shrugged, closing her eyes. "We're pretty high up."

Lightning nodded, and she moved to sit down upon the floor of the cave. "So... If Yun means warrior, what does Oerba stand for?"

Fang tensed, her eyes squeezed shut. "Can we talk about this later?"

Lightning kept silent, gazing out at the forest below.

Fang took a deep breath. "It was a village."

Lightning looked over her shoulder. "You don't have to-"

Fang shook her head. "It's alright... You're just curious." She glanced at the cave wall. "I mean, two years..." Fang swallowed, closing her eyes again. "It was my home, for a while."

Lightning turned, and she rose to her feet. She walked over to the bed of leaves, before she knelt down to nuzzle against Fang's neck. Fang wrapped her arms around Lightning's waist, pulling her close.

Lightning closed her eyes as she relaxed into the embrace. "You're my home."

Fang froze for a moment, and her eyes watered a bit, while her arms tightened around Lightning's midsection. "Same." She began to burn her face into Lightning's hair, slowly inhaling her scent.

Lightning simply listened to Fang's breathing pattern for a while, and her own lungs eventually slowed to match the gentle rhythm. "Do you think-" She couldn't help but quietly laugh when Fang's stomach let out audible growl. "I'll be back in a bit."

Fang shook her head as she held Lightning tight. "No, I'm okay."

Lightning rolled her eyes, squirming slightly. "I'm hungry, too; It'll only take a minute."

Fang groaned, but she released her hold after a moment, muttering under her breath. "Don't go after anything _too_ nasty."

Lightning stood, shaking out her spikes. "I can handle myself."

Fang slid open a single eye. "I know."

Lightning nodded, and she walked over to the cliffside, gazing down at the forest. "I'll be quick."

Fang nodded as well, before she drifted off into a nap.

* * *

"I'm telling you, we _saw_ something out there!" A young man followed behind a taller, older man, while the both of them carried spears as they navigated the forest floor.

The older man shook his head. "Enough... Jaguars are nothing out of the ordinary."

The young man sighed, shaking his head as well. "It _wasn't_ a jaguar!"

The older man stopped in his tracks, before he lowered to a crouch. "Do you _want_ to scare away our quarry?" He kept his voice to a whisper as he pointed at a small, quadrupedal form off in the distance. "Go."

The younger man bit back a sigh, but he began to creep forward with his spear at the ready. He watched as the dainty, spotted antelope balanced itself along a fallen tree, nibbling at a bit of foliage that dangled just above. The man paused, and he took a deep breath.

A white blur suddenly toppled down from the trees, and a strangled, gurgling cry echoed out into the towering forest as the antelope's throat was torn in mere seconds.

The young man froze. "I _knew_ it!" His muscles jerked when a strong hand grabbed him by the shoulder from behind, dragging him off into the forest.

The older man hissed, but he kept his voice to a whisper. "Quiet!" He dragged them both behind a tree, wide-eyed and barely containing his shaking arms. "What _is_ that..?!"

They stood in silence for a while, before the younger man inched over to peek at the clearing. "It's not there anymore." He glanced down at the log, examining the blood that trickled off into the forest floor, as well as the dead antelope that lay upon the bark. "It didn't take the kill..."

The older man shook his head as he made his way out from the area. "We need to get back... Warn the others."

The younger man frowned, and he turned to glace at his elder, before he darted over to grab the antelope by the horns, dragging it off with him.

A pair of orange eyes blinked down from the canopy, carefully watching the humans as they walked away from the clearing below.

* * *

Fang opens her eyes with a sharp, tight breath, her pupils dilating at the wide, empty sky. She rests atop a massive tree, while the branches twist in and over themselves, winding about an endless white.

"It's been a long time."

Fang turns, gazing out at her duplicate from the corner of her eye. "Five..."

Five sits beside her, claws sinking into the bark. "It's not often that you talk about the past."

Fang holds back a snarl, and her eyes narrow. "Let's keep it that way."

Five flicks her tail. "Fine."

Fang finally relaxes, leaning back on the branch. "It _has_ been a while."

Five nods. "I like it here." She flexes her claws, stretching out her arms. "_Please_ say that we're not going back."

Fang snorts, a quiet laugh to her voice. "I _am_ going back to check up on Vanille, eventually."

Five lets out a sigh, shaking her head. "The little one will be fine; we don't _have_ to go back..."

Fang's eyes droop shut. "You'd better believe it."

Five snarls under her breath, stalking along the branch. "I want to stay _here_." She glances back at Fang from the corner of her eye. "With the other."

"Lightning, you mean?"

Five nods, gazing out at the abyss. "She's... A worthy companion."

"Well..." Fang rolls over to rest on her side, draping an arm over the edge of the branch. "We're sticking together."

"She'll want to go back, too." Five tips her head back, closing her eyes. "For the human."

Fang slides open a single eye. "Hey... Why don't you call people by name?"

Five shrugs. "Names don't matter."

"I'd beg to differ..." Fang sighs, relaxing against the branch once more. "Let me go back to sleep, okay?"

Five's nostrils flare. "She's back, already."

Fang sits up, her eyes wide. "How do you-"

Five turns to meet Fang's gaze. "I'm _always_ awake, at least... Partway." She leans back, casually falling from the branch, while her voice echos out from the abyss. "Wake up."

* * *

Lightning tore away a bit of bristle from the carcass before her, attempting to reach the softer flesh of the wild pig that she had carried up into the cave.

Fang began to mumble in her sleep, before she twitched upon the bed of moss. "Light?"

Lightning glanced over at Fang as she yanked back on a leg of the boar. "I'm here."

Fang opened her eyes after a moment, blinking away the sleep. "What... A peccary?"

Lightning tilted her head slightly while she bit down on the severed leg, and blood trickled out from where her teeth sank into the muscle. "Peccary?"

Fang rose, pointing at the carcass. "Smelly bastards..." She sat still for a moment to orient herself, before she shook out her hair. "I was just talking to Five."

Lightning pulled back a strip of flesh. "In a dream?"

Fang nodded as she reached over to tear off a leg from the peccary. "Yeah... She wants to stay here." Her nostrils twitched, and she glanced over at Lightning after a moment. "You've got another scent on you, there..."

Lightning shrugged. "Made a few acquaintances, tracked them for a bit."

Fang rolled her eyes as she bit down. "Did they piss their pants?"

Lightning nearly laughed under her breath. "I didn't stick around long enough to find out..." She cracked open the bone of the leg she had already stripped, maneuvering her claws within. "I don't think we'll have much trouble with them."

Fang paused with a bit of meat held halfway into her mouth. "Friendly?"

Lightning nodded. "I 'gave' them an antelope."

Fang's eyes widened slightly, and she finished chewing before speaking again. "You killed it, first?"

Lightning nodded again.

Fang kept silent for a moment, before she shook her head, chuckling quietly. "They probably realize that you didn't know it... But that's a display of kinship on Gran Pulse."

Lightning paused. "What?"

Fang chuckled again. "Normally, a hunter will only personally give a kill to those that they consider family, unless it's during a time of hardship or famine."

Lightning kept silent for a moment, before she began to eat once more. "Well, that's not so bad."

Fang nodded. "Not bad at all... They might try to gift you back, though." She shrugged. "Depends on the individual."

After a while, Lightning leaned back against the cave wall, slowly wiping the blood from her mouth. "There's a difference between villages and titles... But they all live together, right?"

Fang nodded again. "Can't have a group of only warriors... Well, you _can_, but it makes things a bit harder." Fang soon leaned back as well, picking at her teeth. "At one point, my tribe was primarily Yun."

Lightning sat in quiet thought, her eyes half-lidded. "You said that Vanille was alone... Was she a Yun, too?"

Fang shook her head. "Dia... Either a gatherer, or a jack of all trades."

Lightning blinked at that, and she met Fang's gaze. "She's a good hunter, though."

"Yeah." Fang glanced over at the mouth of the cave. "Because I taught her."

Lightning closed her eyes after a moment, breathing in a soft rhythm. "I hope she's happy, now."

Fang nodded with a quiet laugh. "Definitely... She really found her calling, there." Shaking her head, Fang leaned forward from the cave wall. "Vanille... I don't think I've ever seen her happier than when we first arrived in your neck of the woods."

Lightning opened her eyes. "How so?"

Fang shifted her mouth back to smile. "Well, we had a little money at that point..."

* * *

Vanille stood wide-eyed with her nose pressed up against the glass. "What _is_ that?"

Fang tilted her head, glancing along the shopfront. "I have no clue." She poked at the window with her fingers, examining the glass. "They had this stuff on the 'plane', too... It's gotta some sort of masonry."

Vanille nodded, but her gaze was locked upon the arrangement that lay before her; thousands of objects sat aligned in rows within the shop, and she could scarcely name the various colors and textures that the goods themselves displayed.

With a smirk, Fang nudged at Vanille's shoulder. "Look, there's people going in." She pointed at the doorway. "I think it's a trading post, or something..."

Vanille slowly leaned back from the window. "We don't have anything to trade, though."

Fang reached for her pocket, removing a small stack of bills. "What's-his-name gave me this after we landed." She flipped through the money, idly poking at the edges of the papers. "Said it would help us start out."

* * *

Lightning tilted her head to the side, fighting back a laugh. "What's-his-name?"

Fang couldn't help but chuckle. "It's been years, Light... I can't even remember what he looked like." She exhaled, gazing over at the sky, as well as the thick layer of clouds that made their approach from the horizon. "Basically, he found us out in the woods, and he told us that we could find a new start in Cocoon."

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "Just like that?"

"He claimed to be some sort of ambassador." Fang shrugged. "I didn't know it at the time, but thinking back..." She laughed under her breath. "Private jet, stack of money... Must have been a rich old bastard who had nothing better to do than dump us in Cocoon."

"Probably thought he was helping." Lightning shook her head. "What happened next?"

Fang bit back a chuckle.

* * *

Vanille's eyes went wide, and she stopped in her tracks. "They said that this was _food_, right?"

Fang bit at a sandwich, turning to face Vanille. "Yeah."

Vanille gestured for her to taste the object in her hands, giggling when Fang's eyes widened as well. "It's weird, isn't it?"

Fang closed her eyes in concentration. "It's certainly... Cold?" She moved her tongue around her mouth, examining the texture upon it. "What did they say that stuff was?"

Vanille took another bite. "Ice, or something?" She smiled. "It's pretty good, actually."

Fang nodded. "Try this." She tore off a section of her sandwich, before she handed it off to Vanille. "It's pretty good, too."

Vanille smiled after a moment. "Oh, what is that?"

Fang picked at the bread, examining the layers of condiments within. "It's got a bunch of stuff, I dunno." She looked up at the sidewalk. "This place is weird..." After a moment, Fang smiled to herself. "But I have a feeling it's a lot safer, here."

Vanille frowned, until she began to follow Fang's gaze. "Wow." She watched as a group of children ran about the sidewalk; the group was mostly unattended, except for a single adult.

Fang chuckled as they ran closer, and she stepped aside to let the children pass. "Reminds me of when we found you, kiddo."

Vanille scowled, elbowing Fang in the ribs. "I'm not _that_ much younger than you!"

Fang raised an eyebrow. "You're what, twelve?"

Vanille rolled her eyes. "And you're nineteen."

Fang poked at Vanille's forehead with a grin. "Seven years, Van." She smiled down at her. "How about we take another look around?"

Vanille looked up at the road, gazing at the passing cars with a tiny frown. "Just don't run into the path, again."

Fang laughed under her breath. "Don't you worry; I've learned my lesson." She pointed out at the opposite sidewalk. "Hey, that looks interesting..."

* * *

Lightning covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. "You got hit by a_ car?_"

Fang was suddenly extremely grateful that her carapace couldn't blush. "Hey, hey! _You_ try getting dumped into another civilization without any prior knowledge of how things work..." She rolled her eyes, but she began to laugh under her breath. "I was quick enough to dodge it, though."

Lightning closed her eyes, but the laughter threatened to escape her throat, while a sense of mirth bubbled up in her chest, barely contained within.

Fang rolled her eyes, and she leaned back against the cave wall once more. "Yeah, yeah..." She couldn't help but chuckle again, shaking her head back and forth. "The first few weeks were _good_, though." She waited until Lightning had quieted as well, meeting her gaze. "She'd always been real cheerful, but there was something about Cocoon... Vanille just took to it, almost immediately."

Lightning nodded, but her eyelids began to droop a bit.

Fang tilted her head to the side. "I _told_ you, didn't I?" She stood up, walking forward to kneel beside Lightning. "Running around all night without napping in between... C'mere."

Lightning snorted under her breath, but she soon allowed Fang to hoist her up, carrying her over to sit beside the pile of leaves.

"So stubborn." Fang began to trace her fingertips over Lightning's forehead, using her thumb to tap at the carapace beneath her hairline. "You'd think that resting was capital punishment or something..."

Lightning shook her head. "It's not what you think." She lowered her voice to a whisper, leaning forward to rest her forehead against Fang's neck. "It's just..." Lightning paused for a moment, and she closed her eyes. "One... She hasn't spoken with me very much since we came here."

Fang slowly wrapped her arms around Lightning's chest, pulling her close. "Have you tried talking to her?"

Lightning opened her eyes. "Not exactly... She usually initiates conversation."

Fang's chest rumbled with a quiet laugh. "Try it, then?"

Lightning rolled her eyes, but she began to concentrate, focusing within. "Alright." She blinked as a hazy figure slowly materialized beside them, staring out at the mouth of the cave.

"Yeah?" One faced the forest below, while her tail curled up behind her. "What do you need?"

Lightning's eyes widened a bit. "Nothing, I just..." She looked up at Fang, before gesturing at the cave floor. "She's here."

Fang shrugged, closing her eyes. "Tell her I said hello."

One snorted. "Tell her I use _your_ ears."

Lightning kept silent for a moment, slowly examining her duplicate. "We haven't talked in a while."

One glanced back at Lightning, and she flicked her tail to the side. "We don't really need to; I'm in your head."

Lightning fell back into silence, her eyes drifting shut. "Alright."

Fang began to yawn, before she leaned forward to nuzzle at Lightning's hair. "What's up?"

Lightning shrugged. "Nothing much."

One disappeared after a moment, but Lightning could still sense her presence as a voice echoed throughout her mind. "You don't really need me, anymore."

Lightning closed her eyes, shaking her head. "That's not true."

"It's not a bad thing."

Slowly, Lightning opens her eyes, only to find herself standing somewhat shorter upon a plane of white, and she can't help but smile at One, who stands in human form as well. "Did you..?"

One shakes her head. "You were already falling asleep." She reaches up to poke at her own face, examining the soft, pale skin beneath her fingers. "You're so damn _squishy.._." One shakes her head with a grimace, quickly adopting a body of carapace and spikes, before she moves to circle around Lightning's flank. "You've been thinking about going back."

Lightning nods, but she can only attempt to ignore the way One stares at her human form. "I want to see Serah, again."

One grumbles under her breath, but she quickly sits down behind Lightning, nearly dwarfing her in size. "I like being _here_."

Lightning tips her head back to meet One's gaze. "I know."

One closes her eyes, and the dream begins to shift. "I... I think I missed you." She stands up, stepping further into the mist. "Is that weird? I'm still not even sure if what I think is my own..." One glances back at Lightning, slowly rising up to stand on her hind legs. "I'm... I'm just a number, right?"

Lightning narrows her eyes. "You're more than that."

One's shoulders sag, and her ears lay flat upon her head. "I'm a parasite."

Lightning stands up, walking over to stand directly in front of One. "No." She suddenly takes hold of One's hand, and her grip is firm. "You protect me."

One's eyes widen as she sifts throughout Lightning's mind. "You really believe that..." She suddenly pulls Lightning into a tight hug, and her arms tremble.

Lightning smiles a bit. "And _that's_ how I know we're still separate entities." She glances up at One. "You have your own personality, you know."

One pulls back from the embrace, but her eyes are still wide. "I... I want to do something." She paces for a moment, staring out at the mist. "I just can't think of the right words."

Lightning sits down, merely watching as One wanders about the dream. "Try to describe it?"

One rakes a clawed hand through her hair. "I... I remember being born." She turns, swatting at the mist until a figure appears before her. "The woman you bit, she was there."

Lightning narrows her eyes, but she keeps silent.

One watches the memory unfold, before she reaches out to trace around a vial of liquid. "That's me." A quiet laugh escapes her throat. "I was just... A floating bit of matter."

Lightning stands up, quietly walking forward to stand beside One. "But you grew." She suddenly shifts, standing identical to her counterpart. "Gotta say, it wasn't a very pleasant experience..."

One winces, and her ears flick back and forth. "Hey, I wasn't so aware, yet!" She looks away when the quivering liquid is drawn out into several needles, carried off into the mist. "I didn't know that it would hurt you..."

Lightning shakes her head. "I know."

One lowers her head with a long, shivery sigh. "I still can't think of it."

Lightning shrugs. "Give it time."

One only blinks, slowly fading into the dream.


	2. Chapter 2

Quiet footsteps tread down against the wild, rustling grass, while dark blonde hair fluttered back and forth in the breeze. A pair of eyes flicked up to gaze along the porch, and a pair of heeled shoes slowly made their way up the steps, before a slim finger pressed gently at the doorbell.

The wooden door soon opened with a creak, revealing a set of curious green eyes, cast beside a soft black, almost blue carapace.

"Hello, Yeul."

Yeul's eyes widened. "You... You look like-"

"You may call me Anima." She smiled. "Are your brothers home?"

"Asleep still, I think..." Yeul glanced back at the house, before she turned around to see that Anima was in the process of scratching a spiked bulldog behind the ears, speaking softly to the unusual creature.

"Good to see you, Bismark..." Anima laughed under her breath as she received a bark of approval, and she patted at Bismark's head. "Has he been well?"

Yeul looked between them. "Yeah... Are you-"

Anima stood up from a kneeling position, Bismark at her heels. "We haven't been properly introduced, my apologies." She held out an arm, and Yeul's eyes widened when the appendage shifted into a plated hand, claws curling out from Anima's fingers, but after a moment, Yeul accepted the handshake.

Bismark let out a gruff bark, and his stumpy tail wagged rapidly against the porch with a series of thumps.

Yeul glanced over her shoulder. "You're the one Caius mentioned, I remember... I saw you at the wedding, I think." She stepped aside, gesturing for Anima to enter. "Have you had breakfast, yet? I'm making waffles."

Anima raised a single eyebrow. "That sounds wonderful, actually." She followed Yeul into the entryway, closing the door behind her. "I'm sure that Noel has already told you that I will be checking up on your vitals."

"Oh? He must have forgotten..." Yeul began to lead the way into the kitchen, before she walked over to stir at a bowl upon the counter. "But it's okay." She glanced over at Anima. "You were the one that helped get me out of there, right?"

Anima nodded. "One of many." She examined Yeul in silence for a moment, tracking the lithe carapace that ran the course of her entire body. "From what Noel has told me, it sounds as if both you and Caius have had little trouble reverting to a human form."

After a moment, Yeul held up a pale hand, soft skin easing into place along her fingers. "It's less comfortable... But I can do it, yeah."

Anima frowned a bit. "Ah. Something to look into, for sure." She removed a small notepad from her pocket, before she began to write down a short series of sentences with a pen. "Have you had any difficulty procuring... Alternative sustenance?"

Yeul poured the waffle mix into a griddle. "Hunting, you mean?" She glanced over at Anima. "Caius and I go out... Maybe once a week, sometimes more."

Anima nodded after a moment of thought. "No issues with human interaction?"

Yeul froze. "No." She turned to look Anima in the eye. "I haven't... Not since the cages, no."

Anima nodded once more. "Interesting."

Yeul leaned back against the counter. "How so?"

Anima exhaled, her brow drawn in concentration. "A few of our friends... Are not so lucky."

Yeul's gaze was suddenly very distant, and she glanced over at the window. "I took them out there, you know." She shifted her mouth back, a soft smile on her lips. "Gran Pulse... They looked so _free_, running off into the forest." Yeul turned back to the counter, and she opened the griddle to remove the waffles, before she poured in another batch. "I won't lie... I almost wanted to join them."

Anima laughed a little. "I do hope that they are well, Lightning in particular." Inhaling, she closed her eyes. "Her sister has told me quite a bit about their situation; suffice it to say, she will not be returning to a human lifestyle."

Yeul took out a jug of syrup from the refrigerator, and she set it upon the counter-top, before she tipped her head back, releasing a sharp whistle through her teeth. "So..." She glanced over at Anima. "You're here to check up on us?"

"That can wait, of course." Anima nodded at the waffles with a smile. "Breakfast takes priority."

* * *

"Protractor, please."

Carbuncle let out a low sigh, but after a moment, he hopped up to grab the annoying piece of plastic in his teeth, soon carrying it over to the side of his companion's desk.

"Thanks." Hope leaned down to scratch at Carbuncle's chin, before he set the protractor down beside a large piece of paper. "You can go outside, if you want; just make sure that nobody sees you."

Carbuncle glanced up at the open window, and while his tail wagged slightly, he quickly jumped up to sit upon Hope's lap.

"Safer route, okay." Hope smiled a bit, reaching over to trace a line over the graph paper. "Heck, I think even _you_ could benefit from homework, anyway."

Carbuncle huffed, and he began to curl up on Hope's lap with his eyes squeezed shut.

Hope rolled his eyes. "Just teasing."

After a moment, a low, yet familiar voice broke the silence. "What do you call that species?"

Hope nearly flailed at the sound, and his eyes went wide as he swung around from his desk. "How..? How the _heck_ are you-"

A tall, streamlined figure sat upon the edge of his bed, gazing around at the single-room dorm. "Is it really so surprising?"

Hope slowly began to calm down, but he found that his heart was still racing. "Three... _How_ are you doing that?"

Three tilted his head to the side. "I would assume that I'm taking direct control of the visual portion of your brain... I certainly doubt that this is physical." He shook his head after a moment. "I can't see anything beyond your range of vision, how unfortunate..."

Hope looked down at Carbuncle, who was staring up at him with a blank expression. "Hey! I'm not crazy, alright?" He held the little dog up in his hands, with his thumbs positioned beneath Carbuncle's shoulders. "_You're_ one to talk, mister."

Three laughed under his breath. "It _is_ fortunate that your thought process is within my reach, or I might assume that you've gone a bit... 'Stir crazy'." He stood up, slowly pacing about the room. "What species is it?" Three pointed at Carbuncle.

Hope set Carbuncle down on his lap. "A dog, papillon, I think... But you _just_ said that you could read my thoughts."

Three shrugged. "I don't make a habit of it, and it takes quite a bit of time to sift through your memories." He glanced over at the window. "You need a break; that animal can't communicate with you."

Hope frowned a bit. "I have homework."

Three shook his head. "Your mental health takes precedence."

Hope rolled his eyes. "Says the voice in my head, huh?"

Three bit back a laugh. "I understand the irony..." He disappeared after a moment, but Hope could still hear his voice. "Outside, please."

Hope glanced down at his desk, before he rose to his feet, placing Carbuncle on the floor. "Are you okay with staying here, buddy?"

Carbuncle nearly snarled at him, planting his paws firmly in front of Hope's path.

Hope shook his head. "My dog wants me to finish my homework, while the disembodied voice wants me to go outside..." He sat down on his bed. "I'm starting to think I _have_ gone crazy."

A short, shrill ringing sound escaped from his bedside table, and Hope leaned over to pick up his phone. "Hello?"

"Hope!"

Hope smiled a little. "Vanille, hey..."

"Buzz me in, already!"

Hope glanced over at the panel beside his door, and his eyes went wide. "Sorry! It must be muted..." He stumbled over to the doorway. "Wait, what are you even doing here?"

"Taking over the campus, one cookie at a time..." Vanille giggled. "Visiting _you_, stupid."

Hope pressed at a button on the panel, shaking his head. "A little advanced warning would've been appreciated, you know."

"That would ruin the _surprise!_ I'll be up in a minute."

Hope heard the line click without recieving a reply, and he set down his phone after a moment. "Sorry guys, it looks like we're doing neither."

Carbuncle merely yawned, before he jumped up to lay down on Hope's bed.

Merely a moment later, the doorknob rattled, and Hope walked up to open it, only to be tackled in a bone-crushing hug with his breath forced from his lungs. "Woah! Hey, I missed you, too..." He laughed a little when Vanille finally detached from the embrace, and his gaze lingered on the curly horns that lay just beside her ears.

Vanille bounced on her toes with a metal tin gripped in her hands, but she let out a gasp upon spotting Carbuncle. "They allow _dogs_ in here?!" She ran over to pet him, tossing the tin upon the bed. "I would have brought Bhakti along if I'd known!"

Hope paled a bit as he closed the door. "Not exactly..."

Vanille hugged Carbuncle against her chest. "Ohhh, undercover puppy!" She smiled into the soft fur of Carbuncle's neck, holding him close. "I've really missed the both of you."

Hope sat down at the chair of his desk. "Same here... How's everything been, back home?"

Vanille suddenly sat up straight, rummaging into her pocket. "I got my own place, look!" She soon handed Hope a couple of photographs with a wide grin on her face. "Snow and Serah needed some room for the baby, and I'd already saved up enough for it."

Hope examined the pictures of a small, yet habitable apartment, and a tiny smile crept over his lips. "Speaking of which... Everything's going alright with them, isn't it?"

Vanille nodded. "I think she's due in a couple months, yeah." She suddenly fell silent, and her gaze went distant. "I just hope that Fang and Light are back by then."

Hope's fingers tightened slightly on the photographs. "Two years."

Vanille nodded again. "It's... It's all gone by so quick." She looked down at her hands, examining the way her fingers intertwined with Carbuncle's fur. "Oh!" Vanille reached over for the tin to wave it around for a moment, before she handed it over to Hope. "Happy birthday! Just a few weeks late, sorry; things have been more than a bit hectic at work..."

Hope smiled, opening the case to find several cinnamon cookies within. "Thank you... Sixteen, huh?" He handed one of the cookies over to Vanille, before he picked up one of his own. "I don't _feel_ sixteen."

Vanille rolled her eyes. "Try _eighteen_, buddy." She took a bite of the cookie, shaking her head back and forth. "I say it out loud, but it doesn't feel like anything's changed."

Hope nodded. "I'm still surprised that they even let me in this young." He gestured at the room while he took a bite of his cookie. "I think that Anima must've pulled a few strings for it to happen."

Vanille nodded as well. "She's been checking in on us, every so often." She pointed up at her horns. "Just making sure we're still stable... Have you seen her, too?"

Hope shook his head. "No." He lowered his voice. "Knowing her, she probably has eyes all over this place..."

Vanille rolled her eyes. "No need to be modest; you _are_ her favorite."

Hope flushed, shaking his head. "No, it's not like-"

Vanille let out a loud laugh. "_Teasing_, I'm just teasing! Don't worry." She narrowed her eyes with a smirk. "It's only fair that you get more smarts." Vanille pointed at Hope's forehead. "I mean, not to rag on your physical abilities or anything..."

Hope bit down on another cookie. "It's a different species, he said."

Vanille raised an eyebrow. "Three?"

Hope nodded. "Maybe we're _all_ different; I don't know."

Vanille shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it, anyway... Now give me another cookie!" She held out her hand with an expectant grin.

Hope smiled, handing her another. "I have a feeling that my birthday present is under joint custody..."

Vanille laughed. "You'd better believe it."

* * *

Serah eased herself away from the seat, bracing her arm against the car door as she slowly rose up to her feet.

Snow walked up from the opposite side of the car. "Let me."

Serah smiled. "Thank you." She took hold of Snow's arm, attempting to steady her breath. "It's not too far, right?"

Snow glanced up at the hospital, before he turned back to lock the car door. "New doctor... I'm not sure. But hey, maybe this one will actually have a functioning ultrasound..." He smiled at Serah. "I can always carry you if-"

Serah scoffed at that, but there was still a hint of mirth to her tone as they walked along the sidewalk. "I'm pregnant, not crippled." She began to grin at Snow. "Oh..." Serah stopped in her tracks, and she moved a hand to her stomach, before she laughed under her breath. "Hiccups."

Snow let out a sigh of relief. "Take as long as you need."

Serah stood up straight, a slight swing in her step as she made her way up to the building. "Let's just get this over with." She smiled at Snow. "I'd bet the cafeteria is still open... Ice cream sounds _wonderful_, right about now."

Snow shook his head, chuckling under his breath as he followed after Serah.

* * *

"And... Back again."

Caius closed his eyes with a sigh, but a snarl rippled out from his throat when the pointed edge of his claws began to form beneath his fingernails.

Anima nodded. "Keep going."

Caius exhaled, and his shoulders finally relaxed as the points burst away from his skin, curling out into a wicked set of claws.

Anima examined the outstretched fingers with her brow drawn in thought. "Is this kind of transition normal?" She turned Caius's hand over in her own, gazing down at the layer of carapace that was slowly growing out from his fingertips. "This speed, specifically..."

Caius shrugged. "It's... Been a bit slower, as of late." He flexed his fingers once Anima had released his hand. "I've had to be in my human state more often, for work."

Anima nodded, holding up her own hand to rest it beside her chin. "I _am_ curious, though..." She glanced at the kitchen around them, noting their relative solitude. "Have you experienced any trouble around other humans, in particular?"

Caius raised an eyebrow. "What sort of trouble?"

Anima thought in silence for a moment. "When I last spoke to Lightning, at her sister's wedding, she expressed a sense of abandon... Her instinctual urge to kill had nearly taken over her personal life, hence the move to Gran Pulse."

Caius shook his head. "Once Snow helped me regain myself, I felt very little of the same... Rage, as before."

Anima slowly tapped at her cheek, her eyes suddenly distant. "...I want to know why." She met Caius's gaze. "We spoke of the sentience, no?" Anima nodded up at his horns. "Would you be willing to further uncover this mystery with me?"

Caius kept silent for a moment, a slight frown creasing his face. "Six is... Very violent."

Anima nodded. "Would he understand the consequences of such a direct action?" She narrowed her eyes with a smirk. "I know you can hear me, up there." Anima rose from her seat to look Caius in the eye. "Tell us, if you would..."

Caius closed his eyes, shaking his head. "Don't-" His fingers twitched. "Don't _taunt_ him."

Anima's gaze softened. "That is far from my intention." She began to lower her voice, until it was nearly a whisper. "We can be civil about this, can't we..?"

His eyes opened with a sharp, snapping breath, and his teeth suddenly elongated with a hiss. "Human."

Anima leaned back in her seat. "As is your host, and you would do well to remember _my_ level of prowess." She stared deep into the intense, orange irises, her own gaze unwavering. "Now, I would very much like to know why our friend here is so docile when compared to certain peers of his... Considering her level of instability, I would normally chalk it up to mental malfunction, but I believe that this goes even deeper."

A low, dark laugh. "The first... One." He licked at his teeth, slowly closing his mouth. "We fought with her."

Anima raised an eyebrow. "That... Does not answer my question."

"I don't answer to you." His throat flexed, fangs revealed once more with a quiet snarl. "Only my host."

Silently, Anima tapped her fingers together, but she never removed her gaze from his. "Well, I'm quite certain that Caius would like to know as well."

A long silence, before he spoke in a near whisper. "I... I honestly do not know." His gaze flicked to the floor. "We still hunt, and I am happy."

Anima nodded, examining the subtle shift in his body language; shoulders set closer to his body, head lowered with narrowed eyes, a harsh rate of breath expanding the lungs within his chest.

"He wants me to go away..." Orange eyes slid back to Anima's form. "I dare not cross him for long."

Anima nodded once more. "Thank you."

His eyes slowly fell shut, before Caius let out a long, shuddering breath. "You... You are a certain kind of reckless."

Anima couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

Serah's eyes went wide, and she took a deep breath. "Was that even..?" A metal spoon was still held between two of her fingers, but she barely paid any attention to the cup of ice cream that sat on the table before her. "Twins..."

Snow cracked a smile, waggling his eyebrows with a low laugh. "How about _that,_ huh?" He wrapped his free arm around Serah's shoulders, gently squeezing her arm. "We're gonna need to double up on a couple of things..."

Serah let out a long, lingering breath. "Bunk beds."

Snow nodded with a smile. "Hey, we've improved our chances for the color, at least."

Serah rolled her eyes, before she finally took a bite of her ice cream. "There's no rule saying that pink is girl specific..."

Snow held back his reply, instead patting along Serah's shoulder. "It's still fifty-fifty, I guess... We can always repaint some of it, if they want."

Serah nodded. "Just not the animals, I hope." She looked around at the cafeteria, but her gaze remained distant. "Lightning and I adored them, growing up..."

Snow moved to press a quick kiss to Serah's forehead. "Hey, maybe she'll be back soon... We can break the news to her, and I can get a fresh ass-kicking for knocking you up."

Serah laughed, swatting at Snow's nose with her spoon. "I'd just pitch a fit, and she'd stop right in her tracks." She smiled, idly running her free hand over her stomach. "I think that she's well past the point of physical violence, don't you think?"

Snow looked up at the cafeteria. "Let's hope they stay open a while longer, I'd-"

Serah elbowed him in the ribs. "Nice subject change... _Very_ subtle."

Snow only grinned.

* * *

Fang yawned as she slowly rose up to a sitting position, before she blinked at the gentle, pattering rain. Standing up, she turned to look back down at Lightning, but Fang startled slightly when she found a set of orange eyes already half-open.

Lightning turned to her side, stretching out her arms. "Hey."

Fang sat down. "Hey... Sleep well?"

Lightning nodded as she rose up to her knees, her tail curling behind her. "It's raining again?"

Fang laughed under her breath. "_Rain_forest..." She glanced over at the entrance of the cave, before she rose up to her feet once more. "Let's have another look down there, alright?"

After a moment, Lightning stood up as well to follow after Fang, and they soon began to navigating their way along the cliffside.

"What if they see us?" Lightning glanced back at the cave. "Or find this place?"

Fang shrugged, before she lowered to all fours, clambering over the rocks. "They'll just think it was a bear, or something."

Lightning tilted her head to the side. "A bear... In the rainforest?"

Fang nodded. "Well, I mean... They're not much like the grizzlies up north, but they're out there." She jumped over a gap in the stone hillside, gazing down at the trees below. "Vanille went up against one, once." Fang chuckled while she waited for Lightning to follow. "Whacked it on the nose with a yelp, and the nasty sucker took off running."

Lightning's claws began to skid against the rock, but Fang reached out to catch her by the arm, firmly gripping against her carapace.

"Thanks." Lightning soon steadied herself, carefully stepping over the slanted stone. "Do you think we'll run into any, out there?"

Fang shrugged as she stepped down along the mossy terrain. "Who knows? It's a _big_ forest." She looked up to see that the treeline was already starting to tower above them. "I've got an idea, though..."

Lightning leapt down to the forest floor, claws sinking into the moss. "Yeah?"

Fang shifted her mouth back to grin, and she quickly landed beside Lightning with a thump. "I'm not sure if the general state of affairs is quite the same since I left..." She looked up at the canopy, staring along the darkened, rustling leaves. "But I'd bet that these newcomers would appreciate knowing exactly who's settled this territory already..."

Lightning tilted her head to gaze up at the trees. "Let's just hope they're friendly."

Fang chuckled, already lowering into a run. "You never know."


	3. Chapter 3

Fang inhaled, and her nostrils flared. "We're close."

Lightning glanced down at the forest floor from her perch, squinting at the outline of straw-covered buildings that lay between the trees. "It's only been here for a few weeks... They're quick builders."

Fang laughed under her breath. "Would you be comfortable sleeping out in the open as a human?"

Lightning glanced at Fang from the corner of her eye. "Serah and I got by with just our sleeping bags."

Fang suddenly quieted. "You're serious?"

Lightning shrugged, before she leapt down from the branch, quickly sinking her claws into the bark of a fallen tree. "We'd keep watch for each other, but yeah."

Fang soon jumped down to sit beside her, shaking out a bit of rain from her hair. "Always knew that you were brave, but that's something else..." Fang looked up at the buildings before them. "How long do you think it'll take for them to notice us?"

Lightning's ears swiveled back and forth. "If they're as alert as you make them out to be, not very-" Her gaze honed in on a solitary man, as well as the pointed, metal spear that he carried, albeit positioned to face the ground. "...Long." Lightning rolled her eyes at the branches above them. "I wonder if they know I can hear those archers."

Fang snorted under her breath. "Like an arrow would do much..." She dropped down from the fallen tree trunk to stand upright before the approaching figure. Fang slowly held out her arm, positioning her wrist to show the side of her hand, which was outstretched in a semi-open gesture.

The man squinted to examine Fang's unusual, clawed fingers for a while, but his gaze betrayed no emotion. "I see." He suddenly moved to take Fang's hand in his own, and his lips broke out into a grin. "Welcome, friend."

Fang laughed quietly. "New setup here, eh?" She used her free hand to gesture at the wooden buildings. "We've been in the area for the past two years... Did another village split off?"

The man nodded, releasing Fang's hand. "My name is Yun Oro, and yes, we're originally from Paddra."

"Oerba Yun Fang." Fang pointed over her shoulder. "This is Lightning."

Oro's eyes widened. "Oerba..."

Fang looked aside. "Yup."

Oro kept silent for a moment, before he gestured at the village. "A fellow Gran Pulsian is always welcome."

Fang looked back at Oro. "Guessing you're the chancellor, then."

Oro nodded. "One of two, but I handle the leadership side of things." He turned, while the point of his spear was kept facing the ground. "Would you speak a while with me, inside?"

Fang nodded as well, and she began to walk forward, before she glanced over at Lightning. "You coming?"

Lightning shrugged. "Would you rather I stay?"

Fang tipped her head to the side. "Hey, don't be like that..."

Lightning flicked her tail. "I just don't want to commit any sort of taboo, here."

Oro laughed, waving her over. "I think you'll find that Gran Pulse is very welcoming, at least in most cases... Please, join us."

Lightning leapt down from the fallen log to walk after them. "I just don't know how long that I can-" She closed her nostrils with a sigh. "I'll say more inside."

As Oro led the way, Fang couldn't help but chuckle at the faces of several children who began to peek out at them from within their houses, while a flurry of hushed whispers soon filled the area as the trio walked into the village center.

Lightning glanced around at the buildings, but her gaze lingered upon their occupants, who slowly began to file out into the open.

Oro pointed at a long, single-story building. "We can speak inside... I have a feeling that your tale will a very interesting one."

Fang shifted her mouth back to grin, which prompted a short series of gasps and murmurs from the villagers.

Oro soon made his way up the steps, pushing aside the door. "So... You are human."

Lightning snorted under her breath as she walked through the doorway. "Somewhat."

Fang nearly rolled her eyes. "Well, to make long story short..." She glanced around at the hall, and her gaze went distant. "We were... _'Changed,'_ quite a while ago, but we can shift back at will."

Oro smiled to himself, before he moved to whisper something to another man within the building, who smiled as well, before he walked out from the hall.

Fang watched the exchange, but she kept silent, soon sitting down upon the wicker floor beside Lightning.

Oro took a seat on a tall, wooden chair, before he crossed his legs with a smirk. "Very curious..." He looked between Fang and Lightning. "I'm assuming that this 'change' was not a natural one."

Lightning's fingers twitched. "Not in the slightest."

Fang nodded with a quiet laugh. "A bunch of crackpots up in Cocoon thought it would be a good idea to kidnap us for experimentation..." She rolled her eyes. "Needless to say, we eventually got out, screwed them up in the process, and then tried to get back to life as it was."

Lightning closed her eyes.

Fang exhaled. "But... It was real tough; they rewired us, and we have to hunt to stay functioning."

Oro nodded in thought. "Cocoon? That's quite the distance to travel."

Fang smiled a bit, as her lips were still shifted to a human state. "We made a few friends along the way."

Lightning opened her eyes, and she slowly set her hand upon Fang's knee.

Fang turned to search Lightning's eyes for a moment, before she reached out to cover the hand with her own. "Talk to me."

Lightning's gaze slid over to rest upon some of the lingering villagers, and her nostrils slightly flared.

Fang glanced back at Oro. "Light's... She's a bit more sensitive; is it alright to ask for a little space?"

Oro waved his hand, and the villagers dispersed further into the longhouse. "It's no trouble."

Lightning relaxed after a moment, but she kept her gaze on the floor. "It's just... Been a long time, that's all." Her hands relaxed, claws uncurling from her palm. "We've been out here for at least two years, now."

Fang nodded. "It's flown by, though." She shook her head with a small smile. "So... You said that you guys were from Paddra, right?"

Oro grinned.

* * *

Hope looked out over his room, and slowly, his eyes fell half-lidded. In the evening light, a certain stillness surrounded both him and Carbuncle, and after a long moment of silence, Hope took a deep breath. "Hey, buddy."

Carbuncle's ears flicked, but he made no other movement from his perch upon Hope's lap.

Hope sighed, gazing up at the window. "Three... Are you listening?"

"Yes."

Hope nearly jumped at the voice, but he caught himself in time to witness Three materialize beside him, standing upright on the floor.

Three examined Hope's expression, and he sat down after a moment. "You're thinking about them."

Hope nodded, stroking Carbuncle's fur. "Yeah... I miss being with everyone."

Three kept silent for a while, while his silver hair obscured both of his eyes. "Serah said that they would be back."

Hope leaned back in his desk chair. "I know... But seeing Vanille today, it really reminded me of when we were all together." He closed his eyes. "I didn't realize how much it meant, back then."

Three nodded. "Hindsight is a powerful thing."

Hope said nothing more, content to slowly scratch behind Carbuncle's ears.

* * *

Vanille glanced out over the glittering city of Eden, before she turned her attention back to the highway. "That wasn't so bad, huh?"

A soft snort. "I never said it would be. I just feel better when we're away from them."

Vanille rolled her eyes. "I still don't get it..." She glanced over her shoulder, slightly narrowing her eyes at a perfect duplicate of her more bestial form, the likes of which lay sprawled out in the backseat. "Hope's the least intimidating of us all."

"It's... I can't explain it." Her voice cracked. "I'm sorry."

Vanille's gaze softened. "Four... Don't cry." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "It's okay."

After a moment, Four materialized in the seat beside Vanille, sporting a human form with her arms crossed. "You get along _so_ well with them." She frowned, gazing out at the setting sun. "I'm not that brave."

Vanille raised an eyebrow, but she kept her gaze on the road ahead. "I wouldn't call it bravery... They're my friends, and I trust them."

Four closed her eyes. "Trust."

Vanille nodded. "Just try to relax, okay?"

Four kept silent for a while, until she disappeared with a sigh.

* * *

"How the hell are you supposed to-"

"Light, just slow down; don't get so tangled up..." Fang bit back a laugh as she reached out to grab the bit of cloth that dangled beside Lightning's waist, before she carefully positioned it to rest around her left shoulder and chest. "It takes a little getting used to, that's all."

Lightning looked down at the red and brown garment, narrowing her eyes. "It looks like it's about to fall off."

Fang moved to clip the cloth in place, before she took a step back, and her own intricately patterned clothing swayed in time with each of her movements. "Saris don't slip off so easily, and even if it does, you have the undershirt... Just try walking with it."

Lightning took a slow step forward, but her legs nearly buckled beneath her. "It's... Weird, having human joints again after so long."

Fang nodded. "Definitely." She looked down to examine her own dark blue sari, before she shook her head. "I almost forgot what I looked like."

Lightning bit back a smile. "I didn't."

Fang narrowed her eyes with a smirk. "Hey, now... Plenty of time for that later, love." She reached over to gently tug at one of Lightning's horns. "But I really don't think that they'd appreciate us getting down to it in the middle of everything."

Lightning rolled her eyes, before she pushed her way out through the fabric barrier that led back into the longhouse. "You don't have to tell me twice." She glanced around at the room, and she almost reached up to touch her own horns upon receiving several odd, lingering looks. "Pink hair isn't common here, I'm guessing..."

Fang rolled her shoulders in place with a smile. "Among other things." She soon tipped her head to the side, causing her own horns to cast a sharp shadow upon the wicker wall. "Let's go say hello."

Lightning nodded, and after a moment of bracing herself, she followed after Fang, until they had made their way out into the small crowd of people. A gaggle of children pointed at their horns, and they carried awed expressions on their faces as Fang knelt down to smile at them.

"Hey there." Fang grinned, revealing slightly pointed teeth. "I'd bet you guys are already mighty hunters, huh?"

A young girl bounced on her toes, giggling away. "Your horns look like a nyala!"

Fang raised an eyebrow. "Paddra's up by the plains, that's right..." She ruffled the child's hair. "Good eye, kiddo."

The girl smiled as she looked up at Lightning "Yours are like an ox!"

Lightning bit back a laugh. "I guess so." She brushed back a bit of hair from her face.

Fang stood up with a grin, gazing at the people around them. "Alright, how many of you guys know how to swim?" She chuckled at their skeptical expressions and murmurs. "Not a trick question; just work with me, here." Fang made for the doorway, and her sari fluttered behind her as she walked. "You guys are new in town, so it's up to _us_ to fill you in on all the little secrets about this area..."

Lightning followed after Fang, shaking her head with a tiny smile.

* * *

Serah leaned back upon a lawn chair, slowly closing her eyes. A gentle gust of wind brushed her hair aside, and she took a deep breath. "I just keep thinking that they'll... Jump back over the fence, at any moment."

Snow glanced up from the flowerbed, before he nodded over at Serah. "Light's not one to go back on her word." He smiled at her. "You'd know that even better than I do."

Serah smiled back at him. "Yeah... I just worry about her, and the both of them." Her gaze lingered at the marks upon the fence, and a flicker of affection suddenly swelled within her chest. "She never painted that back, you know."

Snow followed Serah's gaze. "Why did she scratch it in the first place?"

Serah laughed a little. "They were sparring."

Snow shrugged after a moment, and he looked back at the garden, before he pushed a spade down into the earth. "Must have been one heck of a spar."

Serah smiled at the memory. "Vanille thought that they were letting out some steam... From all the stress, you know?" Her eyes traced the lines where Lightning's claws had once torn against the paint. "I almost wish they'd taken me, instead."

Snow sat upright, and his eyes went wide. "_Don't_-" He shook his head. "Serah, don't... It wasn't your fault."

Serah closed her eyes. "Not intentionally." She kept silent for a long moment, breathing short, shallow breaths. "But if I had just been upfront with her, the two of you never would have-"

Snow stood up. "You can't think like that." He walked over to Serah's chair, before he knelt down to meet her at eye-level. "You couldn't have known." Snow's fingers twitched, and he grit his teeth. "Serah, I don't even regret it... Do you know why?"

Serah shook her head.

Snow smiled a bit. "We wouldn't have met them... Fang, Vanille, Hope, and Noel's family." He laughed a little. "Heck, even Anima..."

Serah smiled as well. "I know." She closed her eyes after a moment, listening to the breeze. "I just miss them."

Snow closed his eyes as well, and he let out a soft sigh.

* * *

Anima strode through the hallway with Caius by her side, but after a moment of silence, she raised an eyebrow at a muffled shout, before a second, louder taunt rang out from the other side of the house.

Caius stood in his bestial form, and his ears began to swivel back and forth. "Ah... It might be best for us to stay back here."

Anima gently bit her bottom lip. "I haven't examined Yeul, yet."

Caius shook his head. "They're-" He struggled to find the words. "My siblings have always been extremely competitive."

Anima leaned to the side, waiting for him to continue.

Caius exhaled, and he shook his head. "Noel is very keen with technology."

Anima nodded.

Caius grit his teeth. "Maybe you _should_ see for yourself."

Anima attempted to hold back a laugh as Caius led the way down to the living room, and she nearly blushed at the frenzied string of wild expletives that soon echoed throughout the hallway.

"Yeul!" Something slammed against the floor. "That was blatant cheating, and you know it!"

Yeul only laughed. "Don't like it? Suck my-"

Caius pushed through the doorway, and he cleared his throat with a sharp snarl. "We have a_ guest!_"

Noel glanced up from the television with a device in his hands. "Oh. Hey, Anima." He looked back at the screen, hissing under his breath. "Do you need something else?"

Anima's gaze lingered on the television, as well as the blurred images of several high-end sports cars that zipped down the track. "A racing game, is it?"

"Yeah." Noel glared at Yeul when she flipped her car around to cut him off, and he let out a muffled curse when his own vehicle slammed fully into a concrete wall.

Anima leaned back against the doorway, smirking at Caius's expression. "I do know my way around driving..."

Noel raised an eyebrow, before he moved to toss a controller over at Anima. "Let's see what you can do."

* * *

Fang closed her eyes, and she took a deep breath; all was silent, save the rain pattering around her feet as she concentrated.

"I won't blame you for backing down..."

The corner of Fang's mouth twitched up into a smirk. "In your dreams, Farron."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "Hop to it, then."

Fang opened her eyes, and fell.

Lightning winced at the sound of a smack and crashing water below, before she inhaled, and leapt out as well.

Fang resurfaced with a strangled gasp, hair covering her eyes. "It wasn't-" She began to shiver, treading the freezing water as best she could. "It wasn't _this_ cold before, damn it!"

Lightning rose up to the surface as well, revealing that her pale skin had grown even lighter in the freezing water. "Swimming in the _rain..!_" Her voice nearly trembled in pitch, while her shoulders shook in place as she swam away from the deafening spray of water. "Not your brightest idea, Fang!"

Fang couldn't help but smile as she glanced around at the river, and her gaze lingered on the towering waterfall that they had fallen down from. "Can't say my landing was quite as graceful as last time..."

Lightning hauled herself up to the rocky shore, but her skin still lay riddled with goosebumps. "It looks like they're having fun, though..." She nodded over at the villagers that had followed them, smiling at them. Only a few of the group had remained at the shore to keep watch of the forest for their comrades, while several children were splashing in the shallows with their families.

Fang flipped her hair back, still treading water with a grin. "It looks like you're doing okay around them."

Lightning closed her eyes, and her nostrils nearly flared as she took a deep breath. "Well, yes... But I think it's a timing thing, you know?" She lowered her voice. "We just ate, so it's not all that strong."

"I know." Fang nodded, and she swam over to grip the rock that Lightning sat upon. "Maybe..." Fang paused to lower voice. "Maybe we'll be alright going back, for a while."

Lightning opened her eyes. "I'm starting to think so, too." She leaned forward, slowly sliding back into the water. "But do you think we can really make the trip on foot?"

Fang grinned, before she took hold of Lightning's hands, drawing them both further into the darkened water. "Might take a while... But I'm up for a road-trip if you are."

Slowly, Lightning gave Fang a rare smile, unrestrained and genuine. "Together... I meant it, back there."

Fang leaned forward, gently easing her forehead down to press against Lightning's own. "Lightning Farron, you are my home." She closed her eyes. "To the future."

Lightning nodded. "Together."

* * *

Noel slammed his hand against the couch. "How the hell..?!"

Anima smirked. "A friend of mine races in her free time."

Yeul's eyes went wide. "How can you be _this_ good?" She narrowed her eyes at Anima. "I'm a professional pilot, for crying out _loud_; I can barely even keep track of you!"

Anima zipped around a corner, before she sent her car soaring above the rest by means of a ramp. "I've had quite a bit of practice." She laughed under her breath. "I would advise that you brush up on your drifting skills, Noel."

Noel scowled.

Caius attempted to stifle a laugh, resting against the opposite wall as he watched the race unfold.

Yeul grit her teeth in focus, and she began to track Anima's movement every with each turn they took, until she finally had her answer. "You're something else..." Yeul's claws curled around her controller. "But it's all a smokescreen, isn't it?"

Anima raised a single eyebrow when Yeul managed to slam out into her path, forcefully sending Anima's car careening off a mountainside. "Very astute."

Yeul's ears flicked back and forth as she hurried to catch up with Noel. "When your life is on the line, up there... You _have_ to be able to read your opponent on the fly."

Anima nodded, and she leaned back to watch the siblings brawl it out on the final stretch. "I would assume that aerial dogfights are extremely intense."

"Like you wouldn't believe..." Yeul rushed past Noel's car, her own vehicle hurtling down to cross the finish line.

Noel rolled his eyes, before he reached over for his cane. "I need a beer."

Yeul stuck out her tongue at him. "Loser brings one back."

Noel waved her off. "Yeah, yeah..."

Anima watched as Caius moved to follow after Noel, leaving her alone with Yeul. "An exhilarating distraction, but I did not come here for games, sadly." She nodded at Yeul. "I need to see if your carapace is still stable, among other things."

Yeul set down her controller. "How do we do that?"

Anima pointed at Yeul's hand. "You are more than capable of shifting back into a human form, as you've already demonstrated, but I am more concerned about the speed in which you do so." She sat upright, turning to face Yeul. "If you would attempt it once more, I would be grateful to examine the process in closer detail."

Yeul nodded, and she closed her eyes to concentrate.

* * *

Fang lay back against the straw roof, and her eyes slowly began to close, hiding both the green and orange within her irises. "Went pretty well, huh?"

Lightning nodded, tucking her head beneath Fang's chin. "No stabbing, at least."

Fang laughed softly, and she shook her head, gazing up at the stars revealed between the branches above. "No chasing us around with torches... Pretty well, indeed." She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. "If, or when we come back here, it'd be nice to keep in touch with them."

Lightning glanced down at the village below. "If I can control myself, sure." She closed her eyes, leaning closer to Fang's sari. "But I'm not about to put these people in danger... If we have to find another cave, so be it."

Fang nodded after a moment. "I know." She closed her eyes as well. "Are we really going to sleep on the roof?"

Lightning shrugged. "They're doing it, too."

Fang opened her eyes to look around at the other buildings, as well as the stargazing villagers that lay sprawled against the straw roofs. "True."

Lightning's breath began to slow, and she mumbled something into Fang's neck.

Fang closed her eyes again. "Night, love."

Lightning nodded, before she drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Clawed footprints lay scattered across the winding dunes, only to be washed away with the rolling waves. The sun rose high above the ocean, while a gentle breeze swept through the treeline beside it.

"Haven't been fishing like this in ages..." Fang struggled to keep her balance along a damp, mossy rock formation, scraping her claws against the stone. "Light, you coming over?"

Lightning was sitting against the sandy shoreline, and her hair fluttered about in the ocean breeze. "Someone has to keep these dry..." She held up the twin pairs of clothing. "Unless you want me to leave them in the sand."

Fang laughed under her breath. "We can always shake them out; now get your butt over here!"

Lightning rolled her eyes. "Yes, _ma'am_..." She soon leapt up to the rocks, quickly navigating her way along the jagged surface to perch beside Fang. "Can you tell which coast this is?"

Fang tossed a pointed stick over to Lightning. "Well, if we had a map..." She glanced up at the afternoon sun. "Sets in the west, which in this case is along the ocean." Fang looked over at the beachfront. "We're still in tropical territory... So I'd guess we're somewhere along the western coast of Gran Pulse."

Lightning sat down on a flat area of the rock. "If we stick close to the shore, it should lead us up to southern Cocoon."

Fang nodded as she raised her own stick above the water. "Hey, watch this..." She pointed at an area beside the rocks, which held a school of small fish.

Lightning watched in silence as Fang leaned forward, before she suddenly hurled the stick forward, spearing one of the fish straight through its scaly belly.

Without warning, Fang leapt down into the crashing waves, and she quickly plunged beneath the surface to retrieve the stick, before she held it above the water with a low, yet giddy laugh.

Lightning couldn't help but laugh a little as well. "All that for a tiny fish?"

Fang swam back over to the rocks, and she clamored up to drop the fish on Lightning's lap, only to drop back down into the spray, disappearing from sight.

Lightning rolled her eyes, but she took hold of the fish by its tail to carry it back to shore.

Fang resurfaced beside the sand, and she began to shake out the water from her hair as she walked up to the beach. "That _'tiny'_ fish is a rare delicacy, I'll have you know..." She flopped down against the sand. "Cut open the belly and you'll see why."

Lightning slowly sat down beside Fang, before she help up one of her claws beside the fish. "Here?"

Fang leaned over to look, and she moved to position Lightning's claw a bit lower. "Right there. Just don't cut too deep."

Lightning sank her claw just beneath the skin of the fish, carefully slicing open a thin line along the underside, before her eyes widened slightly. "Roe."

Fang nodded. "You could make a killing off of caviar if you kept it well preserved." She turned to look up at the horizon, while the breeze ruffled her hair to the side. "Vanille and I would spend days out on the beach, storing it in clay jars... We'd bring it back to town, drop it off at a trading post, and then we'd get a decent cut for our work."

Lightning held up a few of the eggs between her claws, slowly tasting them. "It's definitely good, but they could use a little salt."

Fang rolled her eyes as she picked up a few of the eggs. "I'd offer to scrape off a bit from the rocks, but I don't think that it'd have a very refined flavor..."

Lightning chuckled a bit. "It sounds like you two had it pretty good, back then." She paused for a moment, before she took a slow, deep breath. "Why would you leave that?"

Fang froze mid-chew, and she slowly moved to face the sea. "To find something new, I guess."

Lightning sat in silence for a while, before she leaned back, dropping flat against the sand to stare up at the sky. "Where was Oerba?"

Fang tensed, but she kept still. "By the shore."

Lightning slowly closed her eyes. "The west coast?"

Fang's fingers twitched, and her fingers curled upon her palm. "Yep."

Lightning fell back into silence for a while, while her ears twitched in time with the lapping waves.

After a moment, Fang looked up at the sun, before she closed her eyes. "It shouldn't be too far from here... But I don't want to hang around there for long."

Lightning nodded. "We can take another route, if you need to."

Fang shook her head. "It's fine." She exhaled, standing up from the sand. "I'll be fine."

Lightning opened her eyes. "It's not me you need to convince."

Fang poked at Lightning's side with her foot. "Shush." She began to walk back along the beach, gazing up at the towering trees that lay off in the distance. "Let's get moving... We should be able to make some good distance before nightfall."

Lightning sat up from the sand, and she held up the fish from her lap. "Should we just leave this for the gulls?"

Fang shrugged. "Or carry it with you, whichever."

Lightning looked down at the fish, and after scraping out as much roe from it as she could, she set the creature down upon the beach. "It's a bit hard to run while carrying things..." She stuffed the rest of the roe into her mouth, before she picked up their clothing from the sand. "How about you take a turn?"

Fang turned to look at Lightning. "Wish we'd asked them to look after these..." She took the blue sari into her hands, carefully examining the fabric. "I've got an idea, actually." Fang began to wrap the garment over her shoulders, and she soon clipped the edges together beneath the undersides of her arms. "Let's see if I can still run with this..." She quickly lowered to all fours, before she took off down the beachfront.

Lightning watched as Fang raced out across the sand. "How'd you do that?"

Fang ran back after a moment, and she began to stretch out her arms. "Still have a full range of movement, very nice..." She moved to help Lightning position the other sari around her shoulders and chest, before she stepped back with a nod. "Try it out."

Lightning looked down at the red and brown silk, gazing along the intricate designs that were inlaid upon the fabric. "I think it'll work." She began to walk forward on her hind legs, before she lowered into a run. The sari remained wrapped tight around her shoulders, but Lightning was able to move with ease along the grassy shore, before she leapt up to cling to the trunk of a nearby tree. "Jumping is fine, too."

Fang soon landed with a thump beside Lightning, and her claws sank deep into the bark. "Glad to hear it." She climbed along to a nearby branch, scrabbling against the bark to haul herself up. "Let's try and get a good view of the area."

Lightning nodded, and she began to follow after Fang into the treetops, winding in and about the branches as they made their way up into the canopy.

"We might be able to climb some of the emergents..." Fang clawed her way up the trunk, before she moved to balance herself along a thin, yet stable branch. "Depends on how dense the trees are, here."

Lightning leapt up to sit beside Fang, gazing around at the darkened forest. "We're pretty high up."

Fang nodded. "Just a little more to go..." She pushed her way through a patch of leaves to start climbing up another tree. "Remember when we did this, last time?"

Lightning would have smiled had her lips been shifted. "That was at night..."

Fang laughed a bit, pulling herself up to another branch. "Makes the stars in Cocoon seem a little lackluster, huh?"

Lightning leapt up as well, and her breath caught as she broke through to the surface, swiveling her ears back and forth. "Wow..."

Miles upon miles of forest stretched out before them; the shore trailed down to follow along the treeline, disappearing off into the horizon. Lightning's breath slowed as she clung to the treetop with wide, gentle eyes.

Fang leaned down from her hold of the trunk, gazing around at the forest below. "We've got a long way to go..." She took a deep breath, before she leaned back, calling out into the sky.

Several varieties of birds answered after Fang's warbling call, and Lightning chuckled under her breath, before she began to mimic the sound as well, shifting her throat back in order to click in time with the simple melody.

After a while, Fang closed her eyes. "Do you remember when we went swimming... Back then?"

Lightning slowly nodded, reveling within the sensation of strong, cool wind in her hair. "You pulled me in."

Fang laughed under her breath. "I wanted to show that you could _trust_ me." She opened her eyes, staring out at the horizon. "I pulled you back up, after you chased me under."

Lightning moved closer to her companion, brushing the side of her head against Fang's chest. "Trust is hard for you, isn't it?"

Fang shrugged. "Not with you guys... But in some cases, yeah." She drew in a long breath, holding it tight within her lungs. "I just... I knew, from the first time I saw you... You're a fighter, Light." Fang turned to meet Lightning's gaze, staring deep into her eyes. "We're the same sort."

Lightning snorted under her breath. "Hey, if we had met under different circumstances; I might have arrested you for illegal immigration."

Fang let out a laugh. "I would've kicked your skinny ass, _sister_."

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "I would've chased you back to Gran Pulse with your tail between your legs!"

Fang shifted her lips back to smirk. "Oh, _sure_..." She leaned away, hanging down from the truck with one arm and foot, while her other limbs dangled in the air. "I wouldn't have _had_ my tail, though." Said appendage suddenly whapped quickly against Lightning's chest, before Fang jumped down from the tree with a chuckle.

Lightning rolled her eyes. "It's a figure of speech, Fang." She shook her head, before leapt down as well with a low, quiet laugh.

* * *

Vanille sat out upon her balcony, leaning back against the building as she gazed up at the stars. "If you could have anything you wanted, what would it be?"

Four rolled her eyes. "To be completely alone."

Vanille frowned a bit, but she smiled again when Bhakti hopped up to sit upon her lap. "Why would you want to be alone?"

Four kept silent for a while, before she took a deep breath. "You rely on people... You love people." She turned to face Vanille, but her gaze was distant. "I'd just rather be on my own."

Vanille stroked the fur between Bhakti's spikes, furrowing her brow in thought. "Would you rather I not be around?" She smiled a little. "I don't think that's possible, really."

Four shrugged. "You're not so bad, and neither is anyone else." She leaned back on the wall. "It's me, not you."

Vanille giggled under her breath. "I'm getting that speech from a voice in my head..."

Four laughed a little as well. "I think I'll change my answer, then." She closed her eyes. "I wouldn't want to be alone; I'd want to be comfortable around people."

Vanille kept silent for a moment, slowly petting along Bhakti's ears. "Serah asked if I knew anything about babysitting... For the future, you know?" She smiled at Four. "This could be good for you, interacting with people again."

Four rolled her shoulders, gazing up at the sky. "We get enough of that at work... But hey, it's your life, Vanille."

Vanille's eyes widened slightly. "I think that's the first time you've said my name..."

Four shrugged. "I guess so." She disappeared after a moment, but her voice echoed in Vanille's mind. "Don't worry about me so much."

Vanille glanced up at the sky. "I just care if you're happy or not, you know?"

"I'm fine, Vanille."

Vanille giggled after a moment, and she stood up to carry Bhakti back into her apartment.

* * *

Serah leaned back on the couch with her eyes half-lidded. "Who was that?"

Snow put the phone down, before he moved to take a seat beside Serah. "Nora, she said that she'd be over by noon, tomorrow."

Serah smiled. "That's good." She closed her eyes, slowing her breath to a gentler rhythm. "It's going to be real rough."

Snow nodded as he moved his arm around Serah's shoulders. "I know... But we've already been through a heck of a lot, Serah." He smiled at her. "How bad could twins be?"

Serah opened her eyes, only to roll them at Snow. "According to the internet... Hell."

Snow chuckled a little. "I've handled hell." He glanced up at the window with a distant gaze. "I mean it, though..." Snow took a deep breath. "Farrons are strong stuff; we'll be fine."

Serah smiled as she nuzzled into Snow's chest. "Let's just see if you're still singing that tune after we've gone for _days_ without sleep..."

Snow rolled his eyes, but he wrapped his other arm around Serah's back, holding her close.

* * *

The moon rose high above the treeline, casting a soft glow upon the crumbling village below, which sat almost completely silent, save the constant chirp of crickets within the tall, rustling grass.

Fang stood tall upon the river's edge, gazing up along the faint, softened outline of the buildings above. "We're further north than I thought..." She paused to swallow back the emotion from her voice. "That's Oerba."

Lightning looked down from the sky, following Fang's gaze. "Do you want to keep moving?"

Fang stood in silence for a moment, and her eyes traced the framework of a tiny, clay building that lay beside the river. "That was my house..." She took a step forward, wading deeper into the stream. "I wonder-" Fang paused within the rushing water, and her breath nearly caught. "No, I want to see it." She kept moving into the river until the dark, lapping water rose up to her waist. "Gotta face it someday, you know?"

Lightning slowly eased herself into the stream, following after Fang. "Are you alright?"

Fang shook her head. "Not really, but I need to see this." She hauled herself up from the river, before she turned back, slowly extending her arm down. "I'm strong, Light..." Fang's gaze softened when she looked into Lightning's eyes. "I can take it."

Lightning reached up to take hold of Fang's hand, to which she was pulled up and out from the river to stand upon the shore. "What happened, here?"

Fang closed her eyes. "They'd have proving trials, for young Yun..." She kept a gentle hold of Lightning's hand, guiding her over to the tiny house. "I was old enough to be sent out to kill a jaguar." Fang slowly pushed through the doorway, before she released Lightning's hand to walk forward, gazing around at the dusty house; the clay had almost entirely crumbled away, revealing wooden slats within the walls.

Fang drifted over to tug open a dresser drawer, before she reached in to take hold of something. "It took weeks of tracking, but I found one... Melanistic, so it was harder to spot." She slowly held up a long, curved tooth to rest upon her palm. "Yun don't get a name of our own... Not until we prove ourselves." Fang closed her eyes, holding out the tooth for Lightning to inspect. "I guess I never did."

Lightning traced over the pointed tooth with the pad of her index finger. "Something else must have happened."

Fang tensed, before she slowly opened her eyes. "There was a dispute... A squabble between families, but in Gran Pulse, that sort of thing gets everyone involved."

Lightning's eyes widened slightly. "Civil war?"

Fang let out a slow laugh, while her eyelids began to droop. "Yeah... But it sounds more impressive than it was." She turned to face a dusty window, before she walked over to rest beside it. "My parents weren't... They weren't ever around, so I was looked after by everyone." Fang gazed out at the hollow, dusty buildings. "I was thirteen when I built this house... Sixteen when I had to leave it."

Lightning walked up to stand behind Fang, tracking her gaze. "Did Vanille live here, too?"

Fang shook her head. "I left with a group of Yun, and we all settled on traveling between villages." She suddenly laughed under her breath, but there was a wistfulness to her gaze when she turned around to face Lightning. "Imagine a kid who would climb up to the rooftops on a regular basis, never able to sit still..." Fang shifted her mouth back to grin. "Let's just say that little Van grew on me pretty quickly."

Lightning copied the gesture, and her lips soon curved up into a small smile. "I'd bet she was glad to have you there."

Fang nodded, and she slowly sat down, leaning back against the wall. "Two of the same sort... She needed me just as much as I needed her." A long silence passed between them, until Fang smiled once again. "Do you remember when Serah ran up to you, once we'd brought you back?"

Lightning nodded.

Fang grinned as well. "Vanille's always been a big hugger, too; I'd come back from the woods, or a hunt, and the first thing I'd get was an _immediate_ bear hug."

Lightning laughed under her breath. "Serah's like that, but I think she holds it back for my sake... At least in public."

Fang nodded with a gentle smile. "Family's just one of those things, Light." She tipped her head back, staring up at the stars through the gaps in the ceiling. "Even when you're miles apart..."

Lightning followed her gaze, and she soon lingered upon a certain trio of stars. "They're still there with you."

Fang leaned forward to take Lightning's hands into her own. "You told me, years ago... You'd use the stars to hold on to them."

Lightning closed her eyes, leaning forward to kneel beside her. "When I look at Orion, I feel at home."

Fang nodded. "I think I see the same in Vanille... She's what I once was, Light."

Lightning slowly opened her eyes. "Hold on to that."

Fang kept silent for a moment. "When I did let go of her... For a while, I didn't think I could do it."

Lightning nodded. "Same with Serah." She ran her fingers over Fang's palm, and then her knuckles. "But they're strong, Fang."

Fang smiled, leaning forward to rest their foreheads together. "I know."

* * *

Yeul tugged the jacket closer to her body; goosebumps prickled over her pale skin as she walked through the field, ignoring the chill wind that whistled about in the wild grass.

"They'll be wondering where you went."

Yeul paused, before she glanced over her shoulder, only to see an exact replica of herself at her side, green eyes tinged with orange boring into her own.

"You'd leave without telling them?"

Yeul shrugged. "I won't be very long." She looked up at the barn that lay before her, a soft smile tugging at her lips. "Sometimes... I just need to get away."

Seven shrugged as well. "You should have been born a bird."

Yeul laughed under her breath, before she unlatched the barn door, stepping inside with a gentle sigh. "I actually used to think that too, until I realized something..." She stared up at the jet, and her gaze tracked each angle, each sleek, sculpted curve of metal. "A bird could never have these kinds of wings."

Seven took a step forward to stand directly behind Yeul. "I find it interesting..." She lowered her voice to a near a whisper. "Humans are almost never content with the natural way... I was _made_ to kill humans." Seven suddenly stood taller, claws flanking Yeul's sides. "Yet you would have us live in peace."

Yeul laughed under her breath. "Fighting against the way of the world... I guess that's just what humanity does." She walked over to the side of the aircraft, before she turned back to stare at her counterpart. "I once downed more enemy planes than I can count..." Yeul glanced up at the cockpit. "But it wasn't what I wanted, in the end."

* * *

Anima glanced up from the steering wheel, and a smile crossed her lips when a jet screeched overhead.


	5. Chapter 5

A quiet symphony of insects filled the air with a steady, warbling rhythm, carried on by the swirling wind that swept throughout the forgotten village. Bright, orange eyes stared up at the stars above, while a twin pair of slim, green rings bordered the vivid irises below.

Fang leaned back against the wall, letting her eyes fall shut with a gentle sigh. "Light... You still awake?"

Lightning moved slightly against Fang's chest, before she mumbled quietly under her breath. "Yeah."

Fang's tail twitched behind them, while her ears drooped slightly. "I'm sorry for getting so sentimental lately." She opened her eyes to gaze around at the crumbling house, before she eased her head back to stare at the tattered roof above. "It just feels like something's been... Changing, I guess."

Lightning opened her eyes as well. "What do you mean?"

Fang shrugged. "We're actually going back, you know?" She lowered her gaze, tracing the many curves and indents of Lightning's carapace. "What if we stayed around over there for a while, maybe get a place up north?"

Lightning closed her eyes again, before she began to settle back down against Fang's chest. "I should still have a say on who owns my parent's land, depending on the Cavalry investigation... I could probably get it back for us."

Fang hummed under her breath. "I'd love to see the winter again, up there."

Lightning hummed as well, and the sound slowly lowered into a purr as Fang began to weave her fingers into her soft, pink hair. "We could take the kids camping, if they want." Lightning purred even more, snuggling against her. "I know a couple of sites not too far from Bodhum."

Fang's breathing started to slow, but she nodded. "Vanille's gonna jump at the opportunity, you know... Kiddo loves going out on adventures."

Lightning mumbled under her breath. "Serah does, too. We'd go tons of places..." Her voice soon tapered out into a whisper, and after a moment, a barely audible snore sounded in her throat.

Fang hummed to herself, resting until she had drifted off as well.

* * *

A tree rises up from the rich, black soil, curling out to form a twisting maze of brown and green, until scarcely a shred of white remains. A set of claws sink, digging deep into the bark, while powerful limbs lay poised above, watching the distant world below.

Lightning stands along a razor's edge, balancing in silence as her claws curl along the blade, seemingly ignorant of the growing trickle of red that seeps out from between her toes.

"What are you doing?"

Lightning keeps quiet with her eyes half-closed.

One stands directly behind her, narrowing her eyes as the dream distorts, but her voice is soon lost in the growing wind.

A young girl perches upon a thick, sturdy tree branch, while her soft pink hair flutters out beside her, a set of blue eyes locked on the yard below.

"You're going to be very sorry if you fall."

The girl only shrugs, but the scene quickly shifts, and she soon stands alone within a hallway, bearing a blank expression on her face.

"Claire, go back to bed."

The girl narrows her eyes. "Where are you going?"

A tall, rugged man smiles down at her, but both his gaze and voice are gentle. "Just over to town for the corner-store; your mother's got those wacky cravings, you know."

Claire stands in place, clutching a stuffed animal in her fists. "I don't want a sister."

The man nearly startles at her tone, and his eyes widen. "What? Why, honey?" He kneels down, carefully holding her shoulders. "Didn't we talk about this?"

Claire shakes her head. "How can I know who she'll be?" She grits her teeth. "What if she's _mean?_"

The man pulls her close, trying his best not to laugh. "Oh, I wouldn't worry... People take after those around them, you know?" He strokes Claire's hair, hugging her tight. "You, me and mom are all very nice."

Claire slowly closes her eyes. "Okay."

The man fades away, and an set of orange irises await the child in the darkness. "Why are you showing me this?" One suddenly stands amid a field of flowers, and she glances about, gazing up at the treeline beside them. "Are you even lucid?" Her voice lowers to a soft, hurried whisper. "You aren't, are you?"

Claire sits within a patch of wild bluegrass, her gaze fixed on the figure struggling to climb the incline beside her. "Just stay down there..."

A smaller, tiny child shakes her head, gripping at the grassy turf with her tiny fingers. "Be with _Claire!_"

Claire rolls her eyes. "You're going to fall, stupid."

The child frowns, sagging against the little hill, and her voice is nearly muffled by the grass. "Help?"

Claire sits in silence for a moment, before she lets out a soft sigh, reaching over to tug her sister up beside her. "Serah, you _really_ shouldn't be following me out here."

Serah only topples over to hug at her sister, giggling away.

Claire relaxes after a moment, before she points at the mountain that towers above the treeline. "See that, up there? You've only seen the snow once, haven't you?"

After a moment, Serah looks up at the mountain. "Cold..."

Claire nods. "Do you remember last winter? Mom wouldn't even let you out in it, not without a jacket."

Serah giggles. "Puffy."

Claire nods again. "Yeah... Well, you'll see it again, next year."

Serah stands up once more, wobbling on her feet. "Go!" She gestures at the mountain, laughing as she stumbles along.

Claire shakes her head. "We can't climb it." She stands up as well, rising quite a bit taller than her sister. "Maybe someday."

Serah begins to walk off, but Claire takes her by the hand, guiding her back towards the house. "No, c'mon... Mom's gonna get worried if you run off."

Serah waves up at the mountain as they walk over to the back porch, but when they pass through the door, orange eyes blink down at them from atop the roof.

"Why are you dreaming about this?" One slowly moves to cover her face in her hands, shaking her head. "I don't know what you're trying to tell me."

Lightning only drifts along the endless stretch of white, and her eyes squeeze shut as blackened droplets trail down beside her.

* * *

A small figure moved about on the sofa; pink hair lay illuminated by the afternoon sun, clipped back in a simple bun as its owner fumbled about with something on her lap.

Snow began to blink at the sight before him, and he held back a laugh when Serah nearly flailed in place. "What are you doing?"

Serah narrowed her eyes at the mess of fabric that lay upon her lap and chest. "It's _supposed_ to be a baby carrier."

Snow walked over to sit down beside her, and he began to lean back against the couch. "Looks a bit tangled." He reached over to help Serah detach herself from the harness. "Might be designed for... You know, after the fact."

Serah looked down at herself, before she took a deep breath, trying not to laugh at herself. "You're probably right."

The doorbell rang, and while Snow stood up to answer it, Serah nearly flew to her feet, and she was already out in the hall by the time Snow had reached the opposite end of the living room. "Dunno how you manage it..." Snow began to mumble to himself, nearly laughing under his breath as he walked out into the hall. "Nora, hey!"

Nora smiled up at him, holding a duffel bag beneath her arm. "Hello, Snow. It's good to see you again." She walked up to give him a quick hug, before she wrapped her free arm around Serah's shoulder. "Your last appointment went okay? This doctor was nice, right?"

Serah grinned. "The ultrasound was actually working this time!"

Nora raised an eyebrow. "Did they find out what was wrong with the last few?"

Snow shrugged. "Something about unusual interference, but hey..." He cracked a grin. "Two for the price of one, eh?"

Nora kept silent for a split second, before her arm tightened slightly around Serah's shoulder. "Twins?"

Serah beamed, leading Nora into the living room. "Yeah! She said that they looked fine, if a bit large for their age."

"Ah... So." Nora smiled as she sat down on one of the couches. "Will there be any sort of genetic..?"

Serah nearly blushed, easing down on the opposite sofa beside Snow. "Um, well... Anima was over just a few weeks ago, and she said that parts of the organism _might_ have carried over into- You know."

Nora tried to stifle a laugh. "Do you have a copy of the ultrasound?"

Snow grinned, and he soon handed over a folded slip of paper, to which Nora held up to the window light, squinting to inspect the faint outlines of twin, fetal forms.

Serah inhaled, and she attempted to fight back another blush. "The doctor didn't mention anything unusual." She glanced over at Snow. "But Anima said that we might be seeing stuff like orange eyes... Or pointed teeth, once they come in."

Nora nodded, still gazing at the photograph. "You'll need to explain to them what happened at some point... But don't rush it." She handed the paper back to Snow. "When they're ready, they'll ask."

Serah nodded. "We're not about to hide it, either." She took Snow's hand into her own, brushing her thumb over his knuckles. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Nora smiled. "It sounds like you're already prepared for the bulk of it."

Snow frowned a bit. "I thought you were going to-"

Nora moved to open her duffel bag. "I'm not going to shirk you on the lessons, no." She handed over a bundle of towels to Snow. "But the hardest part is _trusting_ yourself; humans have been raising children for as long as we've existed." Nora pulled out a smaller case from the bag. "It's certainly not as if this is an unattainable art... If you can manage to detach yourself when it starts to get rough, treat it as a job, it's going to be much easier to manage in the long run."

Serah nodded. "They won't remember the beginning."

Nora held the case on her lap. "Snow, if we could have a moment..?"

Snow shrugged at her tone, but he stood up, walking out into the hall.

Nora unzipped the top of the case. "You aren't planning on using formula, right?" She chuckled a little. "I might be a _bit_ biased as a nurse, but the health benefits certainly outweigh-" Nora narrowed her eyes as Serah began to blush again. "Honey, we're both women. Calm down."

Serah nodded, quietly covering her face in her hands. "Sorry, it's still just a little weird." She laughed a bit, slowly uncovering her face. "Mom wasn't... Prudish, exactly, but she wasn't all that comfortable with talking about stuff like this."

Nora nodded in thought. "Your parents didn't..?"

Serah shook her head, glancing at her feet. "Lightning sort of took over, once we moved out here." She closed her eyes half-way. "Light was thirteen, and I was nine... We didn't really know what we were doing, but she was able to get us this place, after the old house sold." Serah smiled to herself. "Light promised me that she'd buy it back, once we had enough... And she did."

Nora smiled as well. "Serah, just look at how far you've gotten." She waited for Serah to meet her gaze, her own unwavering. "_Nine_, Serah... And you're what, in your twenties now? Managing _everything_."

Serah grinned a bit. "Well, I had to learn a lot of stuff... The internet helped."

Nora nodded. "You're going to be a wonderful mother." She set the case down on the table. "Now, this is simpler than it looks."

* * *

Fang woke to the sound of loud, yet distant birdsong, and her eyes opened slowly, taking in the sight of the winding, wicker floor, as well as a lone, pointed tooth that lay beside her.

"Morning."

Fang looked up, gazing into the set of orange eyes that awaited her. "Hey, Light... Sorry, I didn't mean to sleep for so long."

Lightning sat beneath the window with dampened, curling hair, while her sari lay wrapped around her pale, human skin. "It's alright." Her lips twitched upward, hinting a smile. "It gave me time to wash, and you looked like you needed it."

Fang rose to a sitting position, already taller than Lightning while still in her bestial form. "Yeah, seeing this place again..." She narrowed her eyes at the crumbling walls. "What a _mess_."

Lightning shrugged. "Better than some of the places we've slept."

Fang chuckled a bit. "Better than a cage, huh?" She rose to her feet, and her horns nearly brushed against the ceiling. "It's always so strange, seeing the difference in person."

Lightning stood up as well, frowning when the top of her head only reached about the height of Fang's upper chest. "It's all in the legs... Try standing to your full height."

Fang rose up, and she had to duck her head down to avoid hitting the ceiling. "Yeah, extra knee." She sat back down, flicking her tail to the side. "Well, I really wish I could offer you the grand tour, but Oerba's looking a bit lackluster these days..."

Lightning glanced at the door. "No harm in taking a look."

Fang leaned back, glancing over at the tooth that lay beside her. "I'm not even sure what the rest of it looks like." She picked up the curved fang, slowly tracing over the edge with the pad of her thumb. "But if you want to just move on, it's fine with me."

Lightning stood in silence for a moment, before she turned to face the window. "I've been thinking about which route we should take... Bodhum is on the east coast, so if we keep following the west coast, we'll just be running straight into the desert."

Fang nodded. "I know almost exactly where we are, now... So if we veer east a bit, we'll actually run into Paddra before long."

Lightning looked over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow. "On the plains, you said."

Fang rose to her feet, nearly towering above Lightning. "Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, but yeah... Paddra's the capitol." She laughed a little as she walked over to the door, placing the tooth down upon a wall-mounted cabinet. "Ever heard of the old chieftains of Gran Pulse?"

Lightning followed after her, stepping out onto the warm, white sand that stretched down alongside the river. "Briefly... I did a little bit of geographical study in my free time, and they were mentioned once in a while when Gran Pulse was involved."

Fang tilted her head as they walked up into the village. "You didn't learn about it in school?"

Lightning glanced away. "I dropped out after elementary."

Fang stopped in her tracks. "Why?"

Lightning grit her teeth. "Work."

Fang stood in silence for a moment, and her tail curled slightly to the side. "I would... I'd spend _hours_ in the library with Vanille." She slowly turned back to walk along the dirt path, gazing around at the crumbling, clay walls. "We couldn't really get a card without citizenship, but they'd let us in for free when we'd help with cleaning the place." Fang paused beside a dusty well, before she walked over to lean against it, gazing down into the darkness. "Cocoon is... It's a hundred times more advanced than they are, here."

Lightning spoke up from behind her. "They?"

Fang snorted under her breath. "Is it weird that I consider myself one of you guys? I've only lived out there for a few years, at most..." She narrowed her eyes. "_'Cocoon's a nest of vipers'_... Well, I'd say vipers only bite if you bother them."

Lightning raised a single eyebrow. "Where does that mentality come from?"

Fang shrugged. "It'd mostly died out around here by the time we left... But grudges linger, you know?" She took a deep breath. "But... I don't really care about it anymore." She turned, nearly startling when Lightning stared back at eye-level, her silken sari wrapped around her arms and shoulders.

Clawed hands reached out to the sides, while a gentle gaze shone above. "Let's go."

Fang would have smiled, had her lips been shifted, so she took hold of Lightning's hands instead. "Off to more adventures, huh?"

Lightning nodded, which caused her hair to flutter in the breeze. "If there's anything I've learned from the past few years..." She gently squeezed Fang's hands, before she released them to leap atop a nearby building, standing strong upon the withered, wooden framework. "You just need to let go of it, Fang."

Fang stood in silence for a while, and while her gaze slid back to linger upon the river below, after a moment of thought, she slowly closed her eyes. "Yeah. Let's go."

Lightning's pupils dilated as they raced off into the trees, her pace matching Fang's with ease.

* * *

With a quiet sigh, Snow paced back and forth within the hallway, and for a mere moment, he pondered the idea of 'accidentally' setting off his stereo system to play at maximum volume, but he quickly thought better of it, instead calling out into the house. "Hey... Can I come back, now?"

Nora called out from the living room. "Oh, Snow." She paused for a moment. "Sure."

Snow nearly rolled his eyes as he walked back down the hall. "Almost forgot about me, huh?"

Nora stepped out into the hallway with a small smile on her face. "Shush."

Snow peeked over at the living room, and began to smile as well when he noticed that Serah had drifted off to sleep, resting her head back against the arm of the couch.

Nora lowered her voice to a whisper. "I already booked a room at the hotel over in town, so it's no trouble." She winked in Serah's direction. "If she needs the rest, I can always come back later."

Snow nodded. "Thank you." He followed Nora to the door. "If there's anything we can do to-"

Nora paused, turning to face him. "I told you already; I have only _one_ rule, Snow... What did I tell you at the wedding?"

Snow thought for a moment, before his voice came out an octave higher than before. "If I ever do anything to hurt her, you'll cut off my-"

"Moms are _tough_." Nora reached up to squeeze Snow's shoulders with a grin. "You're going to be a _great_ daddy, but that same rule goes for your kids." She pulled Snow down for a quick hug, before she turned to face the door. "Be sure to call me with any updates, now..."

Snow cleared his throat. "Of course... Thank you, Nora."

Nora waved over her shoulder as she walked down the front steps.

* * *

Lightning raced along the riverbed, and her feet barely touched down against the waterlogged moss as she navigated the treacherous, winding terrain. "If my orientation is right..." She narrowed her eyes at a fallen log, before she jumped up to balance herself upon it. "We're eastbound, slightly north of Oerba."

Fang leapt up as well, scrabbling her claws against the moss. "You're in for a surprise, then... Just watch your footing."

Lightning tilted her head to the side, but she followed after Fang into the forest. "You said that we might run into Paddra."

Fang nodded with a quiet laugh. "'Might'... Ever seen a photo of the place? _Pretty_ hard to miss..."

Lightning shook her head, but her ears pricked at the sound of rushing water. "As I said, I've only studied Gran Pulse in passing detail." She soon splashed down upon another riverbed, and the spray of water rose up to her knees. "What we've seen so far has been interesting, though."

Fang led the way down the winding, darkened passage, and she soon ducked down beneath a fallen tree trunk. "To each their own... Guess it's less impressive if you've grown up around it." A hint of amusement crept into her voice as she slowed to a halt within a bright ray of sunlight, but as she moved out into the brightness, her hair suddenly flew back in the wind. "But if there's one thing that _never_ loses its shine..."

Lightning's breath caught, and she slowly walked to stand beside her. "That's..?"

Fang paused beside a deafening waterfall, standing tall upon the damp, jagged rocks. "Yup... Welcome to Paddra."


	6. Chapter 6

The grass rustled back and forth beside a winding dirt path, while a wooden oxcart rumbled down upon it, swaying slightly in the breeze that carried itself throughout the field.

"_Told_ you, didn't I?" An elderly woman scowled over her shoulder at the crates within the cart, before she gently urged the oxen forward. "_Nobody_ listens to little old me, _despite_ the fact that I've-"

"Aw, shush..." An old man leaned back in the carriage seat, slowly nibbling a strand of hay between his teeth. "No harm in packing light."

The old woman rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure, all the less for _you_ to carry, but I'm the one who's-" She paused, glancing down at the field beside them. "Dear, I think there's an antelope out there." She squinted at the grass. "No, now there's two... They're headbutting, or something of the like?"

The old man shrugged. "So what?"

The old woman leaned over the side of the cart, narrowing her eyes at the grass, before she yanked the oxen to a stop. "What in the..?"

"Woah! How about a little privacy, lady?!" Fang stumbled out from the field as Lightning shoved her out into the road. "Nothing to see here!"

The old man's mouth fell open, and the stalk of hay landed upon his lap. "What the _heck_ is on your head?"

Fang chuckled as she adjusted her sari around her chest simultaneously, ignoring redness in her cheeks. "It's a real, _live_ unicorn, pops! Take a picture."

The old woman's eyes widened. "You're Gran Pulsian, aren't you?" She leaned back in her seat, staring down at Fang, as well as Lightning, who had finally recovered from their impromptu discovery.

The old man waved down at them. "Hey, you folks headed to Paddra, too?"

Lightning shook her head, attempting to hide the darkened flush that tinged her face as she swept her hair back into place. "We're actually going-"

Fang nodded. "Yup, Paddra, then up north."

Lightning paused to narrow her eyes at Fang.

The old man let out a hearty laugh. "The more the merrier! Hop on in."

Fang leapt up into the back of the cart without hesitation. "Hey, Light!_ C'mon,_ it looked like you wanted to see it, back there..."

Lightning rolled her eyes, but she soon jumped up as well. "Fine, fine." She winced when the cart lurched forward. "It _does_ look..." Lightning glanced up at the towering city, and her gaze began follow the winding passages that led up within the mountain itself, having once been carved directly into the sheer drop of the cliffside. "Impressive."

The old man grinned back at her. "And _you_ sound like Cocoon folk! Good to see that they haven't scared you _all_ off."

Fang frowned a bit. "I've been abroad for a while... What's going on, lately?"

The old woman let out a sigh. "There's been a call for... 'Purification', they say, 'returning to our roots'." She narrowed her eyes at the road. "Just a bunch of old, gnarled _sticks_ in the mud, if you ask me!"

The old man chuckled. "We aren't too far off from that ourselves, dear."

The old woman moved to whack him gently over the head. "Bah! I've still got a _lot_ of living to do, and I'm gonna make the most of it!"

Fang laughed under her breath. "Is the chieftain still living up in the capitol? He could probably put a stop to it."

The old woman let out a gasp. "You haven't heard?!" She continued on without a response. "He died just last year! It was a whole huge uproar, and folks were talking about... _Suspicious_ circumstances."

With a frown, Fang crawled forward to sit nearer to the front of the cart. "What sort of 'circumstances'?"

The old man spit over the side of his seat. "He was _poisoned_, and they all know it!"

The old woman grabbed at her husband's shoulder. "Hush! You can't just say that sort of thing out loud, hun..." She glanced around as the cart began to roll out into a stretch of flat, dusty ground, and she reached for the reins. "It's just up to the council, now... Anyway, it's none of our problem, right?"

Fang leaned back, and she grit her teeth with a quiet scoff. "Poison... It's cowardly."

The old woman shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it too much, dear; the council is watching over things for now... Although, I did hear that they're having a bit of trouble choosing between heirs."

Fang hissed under her breath. "Bloodlines means _nothing_ if you've got weak children."

The old man cracked a grin at Fang. "Her! I like her." He nudged at his wife's arm with his elbow. "Can we keep her?"

Fang couldn't help but laugh. "Well, the two of us come as a set; it's non negotiable!" She slung her arm over Lightning's shoulder. "But unless you guys are headed up to Cocoon... Not happening, pops."

The old man snapped his fingers against his knee with a sigh, before he turned to gaze up at the towering city. "Eh, just my luck." After a moment, he poked at his wife's shoulder. "We've had enough kids anyway, huh?"

The old woman chuckled. "_More_ than enough."

Lightning's eyes widened as they passed beneath an ancient, stone archway. "Those carvings..." She squinted to examine the image of a roaring creature, which stood beneath the roots of a massive, twisting tree, claws outstretched. "Do they signify anything in particular?"

The old man smiled at her. "Ah, that's a good tale..." He glanced at the road. "We'd probably have enough time to tell it before we get there, wouldn't we?"

The old woman shrugged. "As long as you don't use it as an excuse to get out of unloading."

The old man nodded. "It's a story even _older_ than most recorded texts... So, listen now, kiddos, this is the tale of serpent and the bull."

* * *

A great beast once wandered into the lands of Gran Pulse, and it was firmly set on consuming everything that it could see. It soon grew to be so massive that its very figure could blot out the sun! Each step it took rattled the land to its core, and before long, the beast grew too large to even _see_ its prey.

The beast let out a bellowing sigh. "This is pointless! I cannot hunt like this!"

But _then_, a great bull named Kujata appeared before the beast. "Then you shall no longer be a blight upon this land; I will cast you as a fish within the sea!"

But before the spell could be uttered, the beast swiped at Kujata, but its paw caught against the bull's massive horns, causing the beast to bleed out upon the very land itself... Every bit of earth that its blood spilled into began to sprout gigantic trees, rivers, and ferns, so soon, Gran Pulse was nearly covered in forests.

"Away with you!" Kujata charged, finally knocking the beast down into darkest depths of the ocean, where it lived alone for many years.

But the beast began to change, however, first shifting into the form of a fish as Kujata had foretold, but _then_, it grew into a great serpent, wider and longer than even the most _deadly_ rivers on Gran Pulse!

After many years of silence, the beast rose up from its watery prison, intent on seeking out the very being that had sent it there; it found Kujata with a group of strange creatures, beings that the beast had never encountered before.

"Defile our lands no longer!" The eldest of the beings began to wave his spear, shouting at the beast. "You would have left these sacred grasslands in _ruin_ had your blood not been fertile!"

The beast paused, and it began to _contemplate_ the situation for the first time that it could ever recall. "I survive because others die."

* * *

Lightning's breath caught. "What?"

The old man looked up from gesturing with his hands. "What?"

Lightning blinked once. "What was that last part?"

The old man shrugged. "The beast had ravaged their lands, so the people had become pretty ticked off, and they-"

Lightning let out a sigh. "Never-mind, sorry... Just keep going."

* * *

The humans began to circle the beast, brandishing their spears with beast-like snarls of their own! They soon had the creature cornered, but it let out an earth-shattering howl, before it finally fell, and the great serpent began up into a smaller form.

"What can right my wrongs?" The beast whimpered up at the humans, finally recognizing them for their new-found strength. "How may I atone?"

The first human stepped forth. "You can die for _us_, so that we may live in peace."

But then, Kujata rushed back into the crowd, blocking the beast from their weapons. "I decree that the creature may _live_, for it has finally ascended beyond its base nature." He turned to face the beast. "You have earned a name for yourself, so I call thee... Bahamut!"

And so, Kujata stripped out the still-beating heart from within the coiling serpent, and he banished the writhing beast far, far into the north. The heart was planted deep beneath the earth, and from it, a great tree grew to become the very center of Paddra itself.

* * *

The old man smiled up at the buildings that awaited them, and he waved down at the people below the cart as they passed across a wooden bridge. "Quite the story, huh?"

The old woman shrugged. "You and your tales, dear..." She tugged the oxen back to a slower pace, glancing down the river that ran beneath them. "My apologies, my husband tends to ramble."

Lightning shook her head, but her gaze had grown very distant. "I don't mind." She soon pulled herself back to attention, before she moved to face the old man. "The tree, then... Is it a real place in Paddra?"

Fang chuckled under her breath before the old man could answer. "Sure... And you can still see the old, giant snake wandering around Cocoon."

Lightning scowled slightly at Fang's tone. "Most fables like that come from _somewhere_ in reality." She leaned over to whisper in Fang's ear. "Look at _yourself_, Fang... Have you ever wondered where the organism might have originated from?"

Fang paused, before her eyes widened. "You don't seriously think-"

The old woman cheered as they passed over the bridge. "Welcome to Paddra!" She steered the oxen up to a wide wooden platform that lay beside the cliff, before the cart ground to a halt. "Hold on, kiddos!"

Fang made to grab hold of the side of the cart. "She isn't kidding."

The old woman reached out to tug on a rope beside the platform, before she leaned back to let out a sigh. "Ah, Paddra... It's been too long, hasn't it?"

The old man nodded. "It's fitting, though." He winced as the platform began to shake, before it lurched forward, somewhat startling the oxen. "It's a nice place to retire."

Fang tipped her head to the side. "Aww, one last road trip between the happy couple?"

The old woman grinned. "Perhaps... We've come to stay with our children for a while, at least."

Lightning glanced around as they rose higher and higher beside the steep, rocky cliff, and a growing sense of excitement began to thrum within her chest. "How was this place even built?"

Fang leaned over to gaze at the plains below. "A whole lot of guts, sheer force of will..." She chuckled under her breath. "And just a _smidge_ of unicorn dust, too."

Lightning rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but stare nearly open-mouthed as a sprawling village center came into sight, before the platform eased to a halt.

Fang smiled at the bustling plaza before them. "Paddra... City in the clouds."

The old woman began to steer the oxen out into the main path, gazing up at the leaning walls of rock that lay far above; intricate designs were caved deep into the mountainside, swirling back and forth in long, complicated patterns.

"The two of you should get your bearings before you wander off." The old woman smiled back at them. "It's easier to get lost in Paddra than falling off the edge..."

Lightning sat up straight within the oxcart, ignoring the many stares that her complexion, hair, and horns received. "I've never seen anything quite like this..." She glanced around at the bustling streets and market rows, all winding in on each other as they ran beside several lines of narrow, towering buildings. "It's an actual _city_, isn't it?"

Fang nudged at Lightning's side. "Hey, it can't all be clay huts and sitting out in the woods, you know..." She smiled up at the cliffside. "Gotta have _something_ for the tourists to gawk at."

Lightning closed her mouth. "I wasn't gawking."

Fang narrowed her eyes with a chuckle, leaning back to reveal a smirk. "I never said you were."

* * *

Hope woke to a gentle, quiet ringing sound, but he merely reached over to nudge his phone away. "Too _early_..."

Carbuncle huffed from against Hope's chest, snuggling closer against his nightshirt.

Hope grumbled. "Yeah, I _know_... Annoying." He let out a soft sigh as the phone fell silent.

Carbuncle lowered his ears.

"It could be important."

Hope mumbled under his breath. "Three? Why would someone need _me_ for something-" He groaned when the phone rang yet again. "Fine, fine..." After a moment, Hope's fingers gripped at the device with a sigh. "Hello?"

"Hope? Are you still asleep?"

Hope opened his eyes, narrowing them at the bright, yet gentle rays of light that lay cast upon the ceiling. "Mom? Wait, what time is-" He glanced over at his alarm clock, choking back a gasp. "How did I sleep _this_ long?!"

"Hope? _Hope_, calm down-"

Hope flew to his feet, nearly knocking Carbuncle down onto the bed. The little dog let out a huff, but after a moment of disorientation, he crawled over to steal the warmth Hope's pillow with a quiet sigh.

"Mom, I can't talk now; I'm gonna be late for-"

"Hope, listen to me for a moment... It's spring _break_."

Hope froze in place. "Oh." He began to stand up straight, before he eased himself back to sit upon the side of his bed. "Right, right. Must've switched my alarm off..."

Nora chuckled over the line. "Sweetie, you've been overworking yourself, haven't you?"

Hope blushed a bit. "Mom, I'm _sixteen_..." He winced at the slight crack that still lingered in his voice. "You don't have to worry so much."

Nora paused for a moment. "Honestly, I could be worrying a _whole_ lot more, but I know how important this is to you."

Hope began to subconsciously tap the fingers of his free hand together, envisioning the guise of claws. "I know... It's okay." He leaned back to fall against the bed with a thump. "Have _you_ been alright? Dad's still abroad for that contracting job, right?"

Nora tried to stifle a sigh. "Yes, I'm actually over in Bodhum; Serah needed a hand with preparing for the twins."

Hope's eyes went wide. "Twins?"

Nora laughed a bit. "Oh, you didn't know? Yes, they finally got the ultrasound working."

Hope smiled. "You'd better tell Vanille soon, she's gonna _flip_."

"I'll be sure to, if I see her around..." Nora paused for a moment. "She still works at that little cafe in town, right?"

* * *

Vanille glanced over the counter-top, brushing off the flour from her hands. "Lebreau?"

"Yeah, hun?"

Vanille narrowed her eyes at the unusual box of baking soda that sat innocently upon the counter. "Come check this out... It smells a little funny."

Lebreau leaned over from the doorway, and her eyes widened. "Ah, crap..!" She glared back over at the counter of the cafe. "Maqui, what the hell did I tell you about-!?"

Maqui darted into the kitchen with a wince. "Sorry, sorry!" He gingerly picked up the box of 'baking soda', before he carried it off into a back room.

Lebreau let out a sigh. "Glad you noticed that, Vanille; today's pastries could have gotten... _R___eal__ ugly."

Vanille shrugged as she reached up to rummage through the cabinets. "It's okay. I think I have a better sense of smell than I used to."

Lebreau waved for Gadot to take over at the front register, before she walked up to stand beside Vanille. "You mean from all the stuff those psychos did?"

Vanille nodded as she poured a bit of genuine baking soda into a glass bowl. "Even when I'm not fully shifted, it's easier to pick up stuff like that." She turned to smile at Lebreau. "Just don't tell Snow or Hope, I think that they might've gotten the short stick when it comes to sensing things..."

Lebreau giggled a bit. "Have you been over to the house, lately?" She leaned back against the counter. "Serah called me a few days ago to check up on things, but I _miss_ that girl, damn it!"

Vanille smiled to herself. "You miss _messing_ with her."

Lebreau gently tousled Vanille's hair as she moved to walk past. "She's such an easy target, too... Gets all riled up over the tiniest things."

Vanille watched Lebreau's every move. "You routinely try to get her drunk."

Lebreau shrugged as she poured something out into a wineglass. "I don't see your point... Girlie could stand to loosen up a bit." She tipped her head to the side. "Although, it'd probably be better not to go overboard at the moment."

Vanille nodded with a quiet squeal, bouncing on her toes. "Think of the _baby_, Lebreau!"

Lebreau smiled as well, downing a quick sip of her glass. "Yeah, yeah." She leaned back with a sigh. "A little crawling sack of sunshine and puke, how _lovely_."

Vanille scowled a bit as she reached to yank the bottle out from Lebreau's grasp. "No getting drunk on the job, missy..."

Lebreau let out a laugh. "Oh? Yes, boss!" She held her hands up with a grin. "Oh _no_, don't fire me, _please..!_" Lebreau continued to giggle, even as Vanille began to push her back towards the front counter. "I have three kids to feed!"

Vanille rolled her eyes. "Yeah... Maqui, Yuj and Gadot."

Lebreau nodded as she snatched back the bottle of wine. "Yes, _wonderful_ boys, so utterly willing to pick up after _themselves!_" She shot an icy glance at Maqui, who cringed as he scurried away.

Vanille leaned away from pushing Lebreau. "I thought you said you didn't mind him making explosives in the-"

Lebreau covered Vanille's mouth with a beaming smile. "Yes, explosive _flavor_, only at Lebreau's!" She glanced around at the customers who were standing beside the counter. "_Vanille_, how about we cut the gab and you get back to work?"

Vanille shrugged as she walked back into the kitchen. "Sure, sure..." She reached for a paper bag that lay upon the counter, giggling under her breath.

Lebreau smiled at the next customer in line. "Welcome to Lebreau's! We have a special today on-"

A resounding bang sounded out from the kitchen, and Lebreau nearly pulled out the pistol that lay just beneath her skirt, instead whirling around to glare daggers at Vanille. "Not _funny!_"

Vanille tossed the crumpled, torn bag into a nearby bin. "Very funny."

Lebreau clutched at her chest, but her breath was still somewhat shaking as she turned to face the register. "I'm _so_ sorry, but today is bring your annoying, useless child to work day, and-"

"You're Vanille's mother?" The woman paused. "She _has_ parents?"

Lebreau narrowed her eyes, focusing on the customer before her, before she let out a quiet gasp. "Hey, you look _just_ like kiddo number two!" She smiled bit. "You were at the wedding, weren't you?"

Vanille peeked out from the kitchen. "Nora!" She grinned, quickly leaping over the counter to hug Nora. "I missed you!"

Nora smiled down at Vanille as she returned the hug. "Hey, Vanille... Long time, no see."

Vanille jumped back with a giggle. "I've got a job here!"

Nora nodded. "Yes, I remembered when Hope mentioned it a little while ago..." She smiled over at Lebreau. "Sorry to just-"

Lebreau waved her off. "No problem, Vanille could use a little break." She swirled the wine glass in her hand, turning to offer a lopsided grin to the next customer. "Hello, sir..."

Vanille bounced on her toes. "Have you seen Serah, lately?! Snow's been coming in once in a while to bring us all updates, but he told us that she's been too tired to come in, herself..."

Nora nodded. "I actually just saw them yesterday; have you heard the news?"

Vanille tilted her head to the side. "I don't think so?"

Nora grinned. "They're expecting twins."

Vanille paused for a moment, before she suddenly leapt up with a triumphant shout. "Twice the babysitting pay, all_ right!_"

Lebreau downed the rest of her glass.


	7. Chapter 7

Lightning hopped down from the cart to stand beside Fang, before she tipped her head back, staring up at the buildings around them. After a moment, her gaze caught on the square, wooden framework of an elevator system, which rose up from the floor level to disappear into a gap within the rock above.

"Where do those go, exactly?" Lightning pointed at the platforms that slowly rose and fell inside the vertical towers.

"To other levels." Fang took a deep breath, before her eyelids began to droop. "Your tree is at the top, if you're wondering."

Lightning looked to the side. "We don't have to go and see it."

Fang let out a quiet yawn, and she reached over to sling her arm over Lightning's shoulder. "After a nap, maybe." She turned half-way to wave at the elderly couple. "Thanks for the ride!"

The old woman rolled her eyes when her husband waved back and forth at them, sporting a wide grin on his face.

"Have fun, kids!" The old man leaned back in his seat, smiling all the while. "If you see us around, just give a holler."

Fang chuckled under her breath. "We might not be here for long, but we'll see."

The old woman smiled at her. "Good luck to you." She nodded at Lightning. "Both of you."

Lightning nodded as well. "Thanks."

Fang turned back to the streets, and she began to walk forward with Lightning in tow. After a moment of silence, Fang raised her free arm to gesture at the pillars that rose high above the city streets. "There's tons of stories like that, you know? The one you heard was just the basics of it, too."

Lightning glanced up at the stonework, and her gaze caught along the detailed carvings of several flowing, intricate figures, each intertwined with the next. "Are they written down anywhere? Or is it just an oral tradition?" She looked back at the streets, staring out at the winding city before them.

Fang mulled the question over in silence, before she nodded with a grin. "Paddra has a couple of libraries sitting around; I'm pretty sure that we could find a written version somewhere."

Lightning eased herself away from a passing oxcart. "Isn't there a Pulsian language?" She tilted her head to look at Fang, simultaneously keeping her gaze on the bustling sidewalk. "I mean, those two were speaking pretty fluent Cocoonic."

Fang shook her head. "Well, there's 'Old Pulsian', but nobody really uses it anymore... 'Too much hassle.'" Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she held back a sigh. "That's how they justify it, at least."

Lightning walked up to a nearby pathway, but she waited for Fang to match her stride. "I suppose it'd be more convenient to have a universal language."

Fang gave her a slight nod. "Guess so." She tipped her head back to stare at the carvings above, examining the complete design that stretched across the ceiling of the cavern. "It's the same with the Yun, you know." Fang closed her eyes for a moment. "A dying breed."

Lightning slowly began to chew at her bottom lip. "It happens to everything, eventually."

Fang nodded. "Doesn't make it sting any less." She shook her head after a moment. "Sorry, we should be having a good time; I shouldn't be dragging us both down memory lane."

Lightning smiled a little. "It's okay." She looked over at a approaching precision of horses, and her eyes widened slightly. "Riding on horseback? All the way up here?"

Fang glanced over at the clattering hoof-beats. "That's..." Her gaze caught on the flowing robes of one of the riders, and for a split second, Fang swore that she was hallucinating. "The high-guard." She squinted to examine one individual in particular, a figure that rode in-between several armored guards. "Sworn to protect the chieftain's family." Fang looked away after a moment, shaking her head. "I'm real tired, Light... For a second I swore I saw someone familiar."

Lightning watched as the riders moved down the road beside them, quickly disappearing into a different street. "Familiar? Maybe it was someone you knew."

Fang shook her head again. "Let's just say that _all_ of my ties were cut once we left for Cocoon."

Lightning watched as Fang let out another yawn. "Are you really that tired?"

Fang shrugged. "I've just gotten used to all the naps, you know?" She glanced around at the bustling streets. "Tell you what... I think I remember one of those libraries being nearby; you could take a look at what they have in there while I take a nap."

"Alright..." Lightning allowed herself to be steered down into a side-street. "I don't think that they'd really mind if you slept in there, at least not for a little while."

Fang grinned. "That's the point." She glanced down at the interlocking stone pattern of the sidewalk. "I think it's just a couple of streets down, but it's been a long time since I've been up here."

Lightning looked up at the buildings that surrounded them. "I'd rather not stay for too long, though." She glanced back at the main road, before her nostrils flared slightly. "Tons of people around, you know the drill."

Fang nodded. "Yup. I'd rather not have deal with getting too chompy either." She suddenly cracked a smile, tipping her head aside as an ox-cart ambled past. "Although I _could_ go for a little romp down in the fields, now that you mention it."

Lightning scoffed under her breath. "I didn't mention-"

Fang smirked at the passing ox. "You know, I've heard that there are over _fifty_ species of antelope out on the plains of Gran Pulse..." She looked back at the sidewalk. "Hell, I probably haven't seen all of them, myself."

After a moment, Lightning nodded. "I've seen advertisements for big-game hunting back in Cocoon." She glanced at a gap in the row of buildings, and her gaze caught on the wide expanse of flowing, golden grassland. "I never really considered doing it in Gran Pulse, though."

Fang tilted her head to the side. "Traditional hunting, you mean?"

Lightning smirked. "Why do you think Serah's such a crack shot?" The fields were suddenly hidden by another stretch of buildings, and she closed her eyes. "When..." Lightning slowly opened her eyes, and she took a deep breath. "When I was young, sometimes my dad would take me hunting."

Fang nodded after a moment. "With woods like those, I can see why."

Lightning folded her arms across her chest, and her gaze went very distant for a brief moment. "He'd only kill what we could all eat, though." She blinked once, looking off into the distance. "He said that Serah was too young at the time, but he'd take me with him once in a while."

"How old were you?" Fang asked.

Lightning thought over the question. "Ten. Serah was six."

Fang smiled a bit. "See, if you'd been born in Gran Pulse-" She paused as they crossed the street, narrowly avoiding a rumbling carriage. "At six, that would've been when you started out on your own hunts."

Lightning's eyes widened slightly. "I'd... I'd assume that more than a few of them don't-"

Fang stopped in her tracks for a moment, and she slowly lowered her arm from Lightning's shoulder. "It's real different, out here." She turned to face the street. "But that's only for upcoming Yun, mind you... They don't send untrained kids out on _anything_." Fang chuckled a bit. "Hell, they don't even let most kids out of their sight... Vanille had to _beg_ the elders to let her follow after me on even simpple excursions, at first."

Lightning kept almost completely still, watching the flowing, rapid movement of the street. "She left with you, though?" Another oxcart rattled past. "It sounded like the two of you were on your own for a while."

Fang's shoulders rose up for a split second, but they relaxed just as quickly. "Let me ask you, Light..." She turned to face Lightning, but it was as if Fang was looking at something else. "Back then, at the lab-" Fang paused, and her jaw tightened as she spoke. "When you got left behind..."

Lightning lowered her gaze to the sidewalk. "I wasn't 'left' behind." She narrowed her eyes. "You promised to get them safe, and you did."

Fang's breath escaped her teeth with a hiss. "It wasn't _right_. It _still_ _wasn't_-" She squeezed her eyes shut, and her fingers curled up into fists. "_Nobody_ should get left behind."

Lightning kept silent for a long while, before she slowly reached out to take hold of Fang's shoulder. "You're shaking."

Fang nearly laughed at the touch, and she turned back to face the sidewalk. "Just sleepy, Light." She reached over to pat Lightning's hand with her own, before she pulled it away, gently intertwining their fingers together. "Let's get a move on."

Lightning nodded in silence as they started off into the city.

* * *

A soft, gentle light trickled down through the folded curtains, casting a small ray of brightness along the curve of a glass drinking cup.

"It's spring break already?" Vanille leaned back in her chair. "That sounds just like him, though... He had a _ton_ of papers out on his desk when I visited the other day."

Nora took a small sip of her drink. "Hope has almost _never_ known when to hold back." She smiled at Vanille, before she set down her cup, stirring the contents with a small, plastic stick. "When he was younger, I'd get notes from his teachers about supposed 'extra credit'..."

A tiny smile curled over Vanille's lips. "Yeah?"

Nora laughed under her breath. "He'd finish the _entire_ lesson plan as fast as he could, but then he would end up bored out of his mind for _weeks_."

Vanille giggled a bit. "Guess he just wanted to get it out of the way..."

Nora stirred at her tea, and she kept silent for a moment. "Sometimes he'd come back with black eyes and bruises." She narrowed her eyes at the swirling, copper liquid, before she stilled her hand with a sigh. "The school system refused to look into it."

Vanille's expression fell. "What?" She leaned forward in her seat. "Why?"

Nora took a deep breath. "I had my suspicions, but it's all very far in the past." She closed her eyes for a moment. "I could never get a straight answer out of him, either... It was always: 'It's _nothing_, mom, just a scratch', or: 'Don't worry about it'..." Nora opened her eyes with a slight scowl. "It's a mother's _job_ to worry."

Vanille lowered her voice. "He did mention getting picked on, once."

Nora nodded. "I thought the same; I nearly had him pulled from the system, but it did seem to get better as time went on." She tilted her head in thought. "The notes stopped, too."

Vanille frowned a little. "You think he slowed down?"

Nora nodded again. "Most definitely." She glanced out the window, gazing along the rays of setting sun. "If he hadn't been able to go to the university, after the..." Nora paused, before she took another sip of her tea. "The _incident_, I would have looked into alternative solutions."

Vanille leaned back in her chair again. "Because of the horns, you mean?"

Nora chuckled a bit. "Among other things."

Vanille reached up to trace along the curly outline of her own horns. "All our regulars have gotten used to mine." She grinned. "I hardly even get weird looks, anymore!"

Nora smiled as well. "I'd imagine being on the news would help with that."

Vanille rolled her eyes. "Don't even get me started... It was nice at first, but they just wouldn't stop!" She let out a quiet scoff. "I could barely get any _work_ done after a while." Vanille paused for a moment, before she leaned in close to whisper across the table. "Lebreau has a open-carry permit, you know."

Nora paled by a slight degree. "I assume... That it came in handy."

Vanille grinned again. "Let's just say that one day, she 'pulled up her skirt' for them when she was walking me home."

Nora cleared her throat. "Anyway..." She glanced at the front counter. "I wanted to ask you while I'm in town; Serah mentioned that you had already discussed the prospect of babysitting."

Vanille leaned back, and she nodded with a smile. "I used to do it all the time when I was little!" She sat up straight in her seat. "A lot of the kids were left alone during the day, and I was a bit older than the majority, so I'd look after them until their parents were done with work."

Nora leaned forward, resting her forearms against the table. "Gran Pulse is communal, I've heard."

Vanille nodded again. "The little villages, yeah." She tapped her fingers together, forming a circular shape. "Everyone's close, and it all fits together like a basket."

Nora blinked once. "A basket?"

Vanille's index finger twitched. "They'd show it to us, like this, when we'd be weaving stuff with reeds." She began to push her hands together, so that the tips of her fingers met with the space between their counterparts. "You have the strongest bits at the edge, to hold its shape." Vanille moved her thumbs back and forth. "But without the center and bottom, the basket won't hold anything."

Nora slowly began to smile. "It's certainly an effective way of thinking."

Vanille smiled as well. "Well, as long as the reeds don't fall out, that is."

Nora chuckled a bit. "Of course."

* * *

Sandy blonde hair ruffled back and forth in the wind, brushing against a pair of grand, curved horns. Snow stood tall beside a row of bushy plants, but he suddenly looked down to glance at his feet, frowning at the frayed edge of his left shoe.

"Something wrong?"

Snow looked back over his shoulder, and he smiled at the soft padding of footsteps as they traveled over back porch. "Nothing much." He reached over to push the spade-end of a shovel into the ground, before he leaned back to wipe the sweat from his brow. "I don't think the tomatoes are going to fruit this year."

After a moment, a set of quiet footfalls sounded against the soil, and Serah slowly moved up to stare up at the hanging, plastic pots. "Maybe next year, then." She turned to lean against the side of the house, and she smiled at Snow. "How are the others?"

Snow grinned, reaching over to poke the edge of his shovel against the row of leafy plants. "Haven't seen any caterpillars so far, but I don't want to jinx myself." He turned to point at a series of vines, which wound about the picket fence, only to disappear over the opposite side. "The roses seem settled, so far."

Serah walked over to stand beside the fence. "I hope they bloom this year..." She knelt down, examining the base of the plant. "My mom had roses in our back yard." Serah giggled a little. "I remember, now... Lightning would always watch me like a _hawk_ when I got too close; mom would tell her that if I was going to get pricked, it might as well be a lesson, but Light just wouldn't let me near them."

Snow slowly walked over to stand beside her. "She sounds like a great sister."

Serah began to smile to herself. "More than I can ever say."

Snow leaned back on his heels, and he closed his eyes, savoring the sensation of wind in his hair. "I think I would've liked having a sister, back then." He took a deep breath. "Guess it just wasn't in the cards."

Serah stood up, turning to face him. "You said that your parents..." She paused to think over her words. "They could've- They might have been-"

Snow shook his head. "It's all in the past... Stuff like that's not even in the picture anymore." He slowly met Serah's gaze, and the corners of his eyelids crinkled, while a gentle smile began to form over his lips. "Don't worry about me, though."

Serah smiled as well, and she took a step forward, tugging Snow into a gentle hug. "I do, though... I can't help it."

Snow laughed quietly into her hair. "You're more than enough to keep me going, Serah." He crossed his arms against her back, gently squeezing her shoulders. "My family is right here."

Serah smiled against his chest. "I know."

Snow closed his eyes, breathing in the wind.

* * *

Hope reached up to sling his backpack over his shoulder, simultaneously stuffing a granola bar into his pocket. "Fresh air, got it."

A taller, translucent form sat at his side, but it began to rise up to its full height, staring out at the doorway. "Only a day or so late."

Hope rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah." He turned to face his bed. "Carbuncle, I don't think you should come with us for this one... If you need to go out, though, the window's open."

Carbuncle slid open a single eye, before he snorted under his breath, curling up tighter against the pillow.

Hope smiled to himself. "Okay. See you later." He reached for the doorknob, and he soon stood within a wide, lengthy hallway, before the door fell shut behind him with a click. "Three, you still there?"

The tall, lanky form appeared once more, but it took on a more solid, bestial shape, standing quite a bit taller than Hope's human form. "I'm always here." Three took a step forward, before he slowly dropped down to all fours. "I just assumed that it would be distracting to appear like it." He began to walk out into the hall, while Hope followed at his side.

"I guess it would." Hope shrugged. "I don't mind, though; it's nice to have the company."

Three's tail curled to the side, before he began to flick it back and forth. "It's good to hear that." He glanced to the side. "I wonder, occasionally... If my presence is a burden to you."

Hope shook his head. "No, it's fine-" He suddenly froze in his tracks, blushing at the stare he was receiving from a fellow student. "Um, I'm not talking to-"

The girl quirked her head to the side, and she began to look up at Hope's horns. "Oh! I've heard about you." The girl suddenly grinned at him, thrusting out her hand in Hope's direction. "Nice to meet you! The name's Alyssa."

Hope slowly accepted the handshake. "I'm Hope."

Alyssa giggled, and she shook her head back and forth. "Silly, you guys were all _over_ the news! I already know your name."

Hope's upper lip twitched. "Oh? Yeah, I guess we were."

Alyssa gasped, clasping her hands together. "You didn't know? Talk about turning a blind eye..."

Hope glanced away for a split second, but Three only stared back at him, his tail twitching at his side.

Alyssa continued on, chattering a mile a minute. "Oh yeah, you guys were the _hot_ topic for _months!_ I remember seeing the footage of the place that went up in flames, the PSICOM one." She moved to tap an index finger against her chin. "I wonder what kind of person would work there now, after all that's happened."

Hope cleared his throat. "I'm not sure, but I'm-"

Alyssa snapped her fingers. "Then there were also the _summer_ reports, and the-"

Hope's voice suddenly came out in a lower, solid tone, and his eyes widened at the string of words that escaped his throat. "I apologize, but I'm going for a walk. Alone."

Alyssa paused with a near-shiver, somewhat taken aback by the deeper pitch that Hope's voice had reached. "Oh, okay." After a moment, she smiled at him, waving as she began to walk away down the hall. "Catch you later, huh?"

Hope finally caught hold of his breath, and he trembled, slowly turning to stare at Alyssa as she disappeared into another corridor. "Uh, yeah? Okay..."

Three chuckled quietly from below. "Gentle persuasion, Hope... It can achieve wonders."

Hope froze in place, before he slowly turned to stare down at Three, who had already leaned back against the wall. "What _was_ that?" Hope took a shaky step forward. "What did you do?"

Three looked away. "I doubt that the visual portion of your brain is the only section that I can control..." He lowered his voice to a mumble. "The verbal section is-"

Hope shook his head. "Just-" His hands tightened at his sides, clenching into fists. "Don't _do_ that, okay?"

Three kept completely silent for a moment, before he nodded. "Agreed, but I was merely testing-"

Hope's eyes went wide. "Testing?!" He grit his teeth, before he opened his mouth with a low, quiet hiss. "Don't you even remember what _they_ did, back in that place?!"

Three's ears suddenly drooped, and he lowered his head with a mumble. "I see your point." After a moment, he rose to his feet. "I apologize."

Hope slowly eased back into a relaxed state, before he reached up to rake a hand through his hair. "Okay... Just _don't_ do it again, not unless you ask me first."

Three nodded. "Humans have a way to ensure this... A promise." He looked Hope straight in the eye. "I promise to ask."

After a long moment, Hope nodded as well. "Thank you."

Three began to rumble a bit, and Hope suspected that the sound was akin to a purr. "Now, for that fresh air..."

Hope turned to face the hallway. "Yeah, let's go." He smiled a bit as they came within sight of a wide, glass window. "There's a garden nearby... We can take a look around in it, if you like."

Three followed after Hope, carrying on with a slight spring in his step.


	8. Chapter 8

Rays of sun filtered through the gaps within the swirling stone, casting the streets below in a soft, natural glow, even while beneath the cavern's roof.

Fang's gaze drifted back and forth between the path ahead and her feet, but she managed to navigate the streets with ease, until she found herself standing before a small, stone building, one that sat snugly between two taller structures. The windows reflected the sunlight with a soft, colorful hue, and Fang paused to examine the stained glass panes, which were held in place by thick, solid reeds.

Lightning looked up to see a weathered, squeaky signpost, swinging gently back and forth above the wooden doorway, which had been left open in the afternoon sun.

Fang leaned back to read the simple, yet flowing letters on the sign. "Yeah, this is definitely it... 'Place of words', if you were wondering."

Lightning squinted, examining the letters as well. "'Old Pulsian', you said."

Fang nodded as she began to walk up to the front steps, passing silently beneath the doorway. Lightning followed after her, but her nostrils flared slightly at the sudden, encompassing smell of thousands upon thousands of parchments, animal hides, pigment, as well as one scent that stood out from the rest, one that set every nerve in her body on end.

"_Blood?_" Lightning kept her voice to a near whisper, and she quickly held her wrist up to cover her nose.

Fang nodded. "Traditional stuff, most likely from a ox." She began to walk forward, glancing around at the maze of books that lay before her. "This place doubles as a printing station; look over here..." Fang pointed at an area filled with desk-like contraptions, which rested beside a display with a wide selection of colorful ink-bottles, one of which shone a rich, deep black.

Lightning moved to look away from the bottle, but Fang walked up to the table, before she leaned over to examine it.

"More glass, huh?" Fang squinted at the bottles. "There wasn't a whole lot of this stuff around when I was a kid." She tapped the nail of her index finger against the glossy material, causing a quiet clink to echo about the silent building.

Lightning tilted her head, focusing on the noise, but a different sound quickly caught her attention, the rhythm of bare feet padding softly against the stone floor.

"Hello? Oh, welcome, friends." A short, yet dignified man walked out from the lengthy aisles of books, and he slowly held up his hand in Fang's direction. "Paddra Nsu Laq."

Fang took his hand in her own, and she tilted her head to study his head of short, black hair. "Oerba Yun Fang."

Laq's eyes widened slightly. "Oerba?"

Fang laughed under her breath. "Deja vu..." She nodded. "Yeah, Oerba." Fang tipped her head in Lightning's direction. "And this is Lightning."

Laq turned to face her, and he held out his hand again. "It's good to meet you, Lightning." As she accepted his hand, his gaze drifted up to examine the area above her eyes. "I have fewer and fewer visitors from the north with every passing year... It's good to see that some can still find their way here."

Lightning released his hand, and her gaze slid to the side. "It's obvious, isn't it?"

Laq chuckled. "You... Have a air about you, one that I've found unique to those from Cocoon." He gestured at her arms. "Your skin has a certain degree of paleness, and you carry yourself as only a visitor would."

Fang snorted under her breath. "'Nsu'... Of course."

Lightning glanced between them both, waiting for an explanation.

Laq revealed a wide smile. "_Nsu_, a scholar... Or, as the old ways would see it, a practitioner of divination."

Fang rolled her eyes as she leaned back against the flat end of a bookshelf. "Just a fancy way of saying that they're good at reading _more_ than just books."

Laq nodded. "I cannot personally say that I have experienced any supernatural occurrences in my dabblings, as brief as they may be." He turned around to look at Fang, and his gaze drifted to the top of her head as well. "Although... May I ask why the two of you have horns?"

Fang had to bite back a laugh. "Long story, buddy... And I'm nearly falling asleep, here."

Lightning almost rolled her eyes as well. "Take that nap, then."

Fang sank back against the bookshelf. "Already on it..."

Laq raised a single eyebrow at Fang's slumped, nearly comatose form, but he made no comment on her apparent exhaustion. Instead, he turned to face Lightning, before he gestured at the aisles upon aisles of books. "I assume that the two of you came here with need of information?" Laq looked over his shoulder. "Or was your friend only in search of a quiet place to rest?"

Lightning shook her head. "Just today, I heard a story, and it... Resonated, with something." She reached up to trace the curve of her horns. "Long story short, the two of us were part of an involuntary experiment back in Cocoon, one that-" She paused to lower her voice. "We can 'change', now."

Laq slolwy held up both his index finger and thumb, running them against his chin as he mulled over Lightning's words. "A transition?"

Lightning nearly smirked. "More like a transformation."

Laq nodded with a quiet hum. "What was this story, then?"

Lightning thought back for a moment. "Well... It sounded almost like a fairy tale; it was a story about a beast that gets turned into a fish, and then a serpent, but when it confronts the bull that changed it in the first place-"

Laq's eyes widened in recognition. "Bahamut and Kujata."

Lightning glanced over at the bookshelves. "Do you have it here?"

Laq turned to face the opposite aisle of shelves, and he mumbled to himself for a moment, before he gestured for Lightning to follow. "It's a story with _several_ variations..." He began to trace along the edge of the highest shelf with his fingertips, scanning the assorted parchment and leather-bound tomes with a distant gaze. "One that also transcends the area between literal and otherwise."

Lightning smiled to herself. "I don't think that a fish could really turn into a serpent outside of a fairy tale; I'm more interested in something that 'the beast' said, actually."

Laq reached up to pull down a weathered scroll, and he began to read the inscription inlaid within the case. "And what sort of 'something' was that?"

Lightning closed her eyes. "'I survive because others die.'"

Laq pushed the scroll away, before he reached up for a heavier tome. "Most versions include that phrase, yes..." Laq took one look at the title of the leather-bound book, before a smile crept over his face. "This will be undoubtedly be of use to you."

Lightning watched as Laq slowly opened the book, and her nose twitched at the scent of aged paper and dust, as well as a strange, subtle scent that she couldn't quite place.

"Although... I would assume that you don't speak the tongue that this is written in." Laq smiled at Lightning. "Your friend could use a more comfortable seat, no? Meet me in the back, if you will."

Lightning watched as Laq carried the book down to the opposite end of the aisle, before she turned to face the way that they had walked from.

"You're hooked, now."

Lightning nearly startled at the soft, yet chilling voice, but she held completely still, even when the sensation at her back seemed to grow closer, completely surrounding her.

"Can't say that I'm any different... She _did_ say I came from Gran Pulse, didn't she? Anima." The sound was nearly deafening in Lightning's ears, although it was only just a whisper. "Or _whatever_ they made me from. Whatever they put into _you_."

Lightning kept silent, but her fingers twitched at her sides.

"I can't even remember why I said it... It's almost as if I was something different, back then."

Lightning began to walk forward, but the voice never left her ears.

"Guess I didn't care."

Lightning blinked once, before she finally spoke, although her breath barely left her lips. "And now you care?"

One suddenly appeared, bursting out from the empty space in front of her, before she stood tall between the towering aisles, while she kept her head low and trembling. "Of course I care! You... _You_ care."

Lightning watched her counterpart shiver, nostrils twitching back and forth.

"Damn _you_, you care... _I_ wasn't supposed to! They wired... _Changed_ you, not to think of anyone else." One began to pace, shaking her head side to side. "I just want to go back to how we _were! _I don't want this damn-" She snarled, clawing at her hair. "Stupid, curious-"

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "Calm _down_."

One let out a low, constant whine, but she continued to pace. "The scent is _really_ getting to me... Please, let's just leave again!"

Lightning took a step forward, passing directly through One's seemingly physical form. "It's not all about you, or us... Whatever _we_ are." She turned to look back over her shoulder, but One was already beginning to distort, slowly fading out into the silent, swirling air. "Get a grip on yourself."

The voice sounded once more, but it was barely audible. "What if we find something... Something that we wish we hadn't?"

Lightning moved back to the main aisle, her bare footsteps echoing against the stone. "Then _tough_. I'm getting to the bottom of this, even if it's nothing but a dead end."

She received silence in response, but Lightning continued on without pause, until she finally slowed to a stop beside the front door. "Fang, get up."

Squinting at the sudden brightness of the open doorway, Lightning knelt down, maneuvering her arm beneath Fang's shoulder, adjusting to grip at her back. "C'mon... I already have enough to deal with right now."

Fang mumbled under her breath, but after a moment, her eyes slid open. "What..? Where're we goin'?"

Lightning rolled her eyes as she hoisted Fang up to her feet. "The back. Sounds like you'll get a place to sleep after all."

Fang yawned, slowly stepping down along the floor, while her upper body lay propped against Lightning's shoulder. "Shouldn' be too long... Jus' a nap."

Lightning shook her head. "We found a book, but it's written in Old Pulsian."

Fang's eyes opened a bit wider. "What? 'Bout the story?"

Lightning nodded, and she bit back a smirk upon spotting an area of wicker floor, which contained a circle of large, pillow-like cushions, arranged around a low, round table with several books stacked upon on it.

Laq glanced up from leaning against the side of one of the cushions, and he waved them over with a small smile. "I actually haven't yet had the pleasure of reading this particular version."

Lightning led Fang over to the circle, but she nearly topped over on herself when Fang flopped down against some of the pillows, stretching out with a quiet yawn.

"Fang!" Lightning quickly righted herself, and she reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose with a quiet hiss. "What's gotten into you?"

"Another Gran Pulsian tradition." Laq shrugged, crossing his legs against the floor as he began to leaf through the first few pages of the tome. "It's expected of visitors to make themselves as comfortable as possible."

Lightning walked over to take a seat between Fang and Laq, and she soon started to absentmindedly twirl a strand of Fang's hair between her fingertips. "I can't say the same of Cocoon."

Laq only smiled at her. "Shall we start? This is a very interesting find... It seems that I've obtained a rare version of the tale, one told by Kujata himself."

It took a moment for Lightning to register what Laq had said. "Kujata... The _bull?_"

Laq shook his head with a quiet laugh. "The first thing that you should know about Pulsian legends... _Never_ take them literally." He turned to the first page. "I do hope that this is a legitimate copy, though... Kujata lived in ancient times, nearly before most recorded history." Laq cleared his throat. "'My name is...'"

* * *

My name is Kujata.

I was born beneath a clear, moonlit sky, or so my elders told me, at the point when I was old enough to listen. Such an occurrence was thought to be good luck, but after all that has happened thus far, I cannot be certain if the old ways hold any credibility in these times...At least, not in comparison to what we found.

I am often told that I get far ahead of myself, and even now, as I watch my student scribble down these words as I dictate them... _(He's looking at me funny, but I ___swear___ I'm writing it right!)_

This is a story that must be preserved for future generations, and because my fingers have grown brittle and thin, I have tasked my incompetent, lazy-_ (I am not!) _student to help me complete this task.

My name is Paddra Yun Kujata, and I was not the only child in my village to be born on that fateful night; I was the second son of a nameless woman, and this is my brother's story.

* * *

Laq chuckled to himself. "It would seem we have conflicting narrators..."

"His student?" Lightning had propped herself back against one of the cushions, while Fang slept away beside her. "If he was worried about accuracy, couldn't he have asked someone else?"

Laq turned to the next page. "Perhaps it was a lesson?" He smiled at the lines of swirling, dark-green ink. "His student was a skilled calligraphist, at least... We'll just have to see."

* * *

When I was young, I had no name. A Yun earns his name through both bloodshed and effort, and such a title carries an unspoken aura of respect, as well as inherent deference.

A Yun is supreme. A Yun fights for the greater good, and he strives to live his life through service, as well as sacrifice before he returns to the earth, with the intent of leaving it in a superior state than he entered it, no longer blind or screaming into the night, for all the good that it will do.

I was our mother's second son. My brother was older by less than a few, mere moments, but he was sickly and small.

At first, our elders said that he would never leave the village, and that the extent of his luck would be to survive past his teenage years, but I knew... I _knew_, deep down, that he would fight tirelessly against such a claim, just as he always did; my brother wanted but for one thing, and one thing only... The title of Yun, just as our mother would have received, had she not passed before she could claim it.

She was young, they said. Too young for children. The elders said that she never spoke of our father, and I have no memory of the short time that she was with us.

A Yun is taught to accept fear, to embrace the ever-changing cycle of both life and death, to be a participant of our own fate... But also, to find ourselves at peace with the fact that we are but a miniscule fragment of the world and all its greatness, and that while what we accomplish is little in scale, even the smallest of acts can change the world for the better.

I was _so_ afraid.

My student looks at me now with wide, wavering eyes, and I can see that he does not truly believe that a grown man could be so fearful, but _he_ is still so very young, and he has not seen what I've experienced, nor has he heard this tale himself.

I suppose that I should start at the beginning, as most stories do.

Our mentor was a stern, quiet man named Mora, and he afforded us little no mercies, even when we were but the height of his elbows. He gave me a spear to train with, and to my brother, a knife and bolas.

This is our story, as best as I can remember it.

* * *

A set of fingertips slowly brushed against the moss-covered trunk of a large, fallen tree, but as each digit drew back, they revealed a smear of thick, darkened liquid, shining red beneath the dappled rays of sunlight.

"Should be close." A short, thin boy glanced over his brother's shoulder, squinting at the blotches of blood between his fingertips. "Bet it ran off into the thicket, there..."

His larger, muscular twin moved the blood back and forth between his fingers, before his mouth eased into a frown. "Something's off."

The smaller boy rolled his eyes, rising up to his full height. "Really? We _finally_ manage to hit something-"

The second boy stood up as well, but he held a certain sharpness to his gaze. "I'm serious, just look at this!" He held out his hand, revealing that each droplet of blood was quivering slightly, attempting to rejoin into a single mass.

The first boy's eyes went wide, and he leaned in to examine the blood in further detail. "What _is_ that?" He watched it in silence for while, before he leaned back, turning to face the trail of speckled red. "If we find it, we should take it back alive."

The second took a step away, shaking his head. "Don't be stupid! We can't take a _bear_ back alive..."

The first only grinned, and he began to creep forward, tracking the trail of their quarry. "It's barely bigger than a cub, of course we can!"

The second followed after his brother, but he continued to frown, gripping at the haft of his spear with a greater sense of urgency. "This wasn't even our task... This is too much."

The first let out a quiet scoff, and he turned to glare over his shoulder. "A Yun is brave."

The second lowered his gaze. "A Yun measures his strikes; a Yun knows what he is capable of." He looked over at his brother's thin, wiry form. "I _know_ what we are capable of."

The first grit his teeth. "You're underestimating us." He pointed at the furry pelt that dangled around his chest. "A _bear_ cub, brother! I've already drawn first blood, you know."

The second looked away. "A _cub_... This wasn't a cub."

The first lowered to a crouch, and he moved forward to peer through the undergrowth, examining the clearing below. "More blood... But it's... Slowing?"

The second knelt down as well, tracking his brother's gaze. "Slowing?" He suddenly froze, before he scuttled back as one of the distant shadows moved, before he tugged his brother back as well.

The creature below stumbled to its feet, crooning over the long, diagonal cut that steadily oozed upon its hind leg. The bear slumped forward, but as it turned to the side, it revealed a set of deep, brown eyes, intertwined with several flecks of an intense, mystifying orange.

The first leaned forward to stare at the creature below. "Do you _see_ that?" He spoke in a whisper, but he couldn't help the rapid pace of breath that invaded his tone, clouding his voice with anticipation.

The second began to shiver. "The eyes? I've never seen a bear with eyes like that!" He began to squint, focusing on the strange, vivid brightness of each streak of orange.

The first shook his head, and he pointed at the bear. "Brother, look..."

The second followed his brother's gesture, before his heart nearly skipped a beat. Adorning the bear's head was a short, yet distinct pair of horns.


	9. Chapter 9

Fang woke with a start, and her eyes flew open after a quiet gasp, only to find that just a single hand was resting on her shoulder, shaking her awake.

"Fang, you need to hear this." Lightning's eyes were wider than usual, and she turned around to face Laq once more. "Re-read that last part."

Fang slowly rose into a sitting position, blinking the sleep from her eyes. "Hold on, what's this about?"

Laq cleared his throat. "It seems that I've acquired a first-hand account of Kujata's experiences as a child." He glanced down at the open page. "As we were... 'I pulled my brother back from the edge of the hill, and it was at that point that I realized we were _well_ in over our heads; below us, limping along beside the thicket, stood the bear that I had struck.'" Laq paused for a moment, before he began to speak in a slower, clear tone. "'The creature possessed an eye color that I had never seen before; each fleck of orange seemed as bright as a crackling fire... It also sported a small pair of horns, the likes of which sat directly between its ears, curling slightly to the front.'"

Fang could only sit in place for a moment, until she finally found her words. "Is this... For real? A legitimate book?"

Laq's face fell slightly, before he turned the book around to examine the cover. "Well, I would certainly hope so..." He traced a finger over the spine, testing the strength and feel of the binding. "It was gifted to me along with several other books from the library of a close friend... I would need to ask her if she knows of its origins beyond that point."

Lightning glanced at Fang from the corner of her eye, but there was an intensity to her gaze, even as she faced the book itself. "_If_ this _is_ real..."

Fang held up her left hand, and she slowly began to press the bottom of her index finger against her thumb. "It could explain where they got it from, yeah."

Laq looked up from the book, and his eyes went wide as one of Fang's fingernails to started swell, quickly rising up to form a pointed, curving claw, which eased its way out from the tip of her index finger, all while her thumb began to do the same.

Lightning watched the process without comment, and after a moment, she broke the silence with a whisper. "Our eyes are orange for a reason." She glanced over at the book, gazing along the intricate, woven cover. "It had to come from somewhere."

Fang suddenly leaned forward, revealing that her face had become almost completely covered in carapace, possessing a set of flared, flat nostrils. "I _never_ forget a smell... Let me see that for a sec."

Laq passed her the book with a slightly trembling hand. "I can see what your friend meant by 'transformation'..."

Fang attempted let out a low chuckle, but it was more of a rumbling series of clicks. "Not something you see everyday, is it?" She began to turn the book over in her hands, before she opened it, inhaling the scent within with a low hum. "Well, well... Did anyone check this out before us?"

Laq nodded right away. "As I said before, I haven't had many, if _any_ visitors during the past few years, much less from the north." He smiled at the book. "I had the pleasure of aiding an exploratory group of scientists from Cocoon; they were most interested in the local myth of Paddra, as well as some of the rarer examples of both flora and fauna-"

Lightning's shoulders suddenly tensed, but she simply grit her teeth, slowly shaking her head. "Fang, which one?"

Fang shrugged, before she handed the book back to Laq. "Both of 'em, but it's real faint... Definitely a few years back."

Laq looked between them, with single eyebrow raised. "May I ask, what..?"

"Nothing to get worked up over." Fang leaned back, propping herself up against the wall beside Lightning, while she began to shift her face back into its human shape. "Well, to make a long story short... It sounds like you might have inadvertently helped get us to the way we are today."

Laq let the words sink in for a moment, before he slowly bowed his head. "I apologize, even as it was inadvertent."

Lightning inhaled, attempting to calm herself. "It's alright... You wouldn't have had any idea how twisted things would get; they'd act so _normal_, back then... Like what they were _doing_ to us was normal."

Fang nodded. "If I'd met any of them on the street before all of that, I wouldn't have been any the wiser." She thought back for a moment, closing her eyes. "Hell, they even fooled Vanille into a job interview for the two of us, and she's always had a good head on her shoulders."

Lightning glanced back at the book. "Well, this _could_ explain how they found it... _Where_ they found it."

Laq's expression suddenly brightened, and he stood up with a slight nod. "One moment."

Fang watched as he disappeared further into the library, and after a moment of silence, she turned to face Lightning. "I'm guessing that this is more of a '_historical'_ account of Kujata?" Fang pointed at the book. "I've heard a of couple versions, myself, but the origins of 'the beast' were always either vague, metaphorical, or non-existent." She reached up to scratch at the side of her neck, thinking back. "But I shouldn't spoil it for you... It's a pretty good story, all things considered."

Lightning crossed her arms over her chest, lost in thought for a moment. "Alright, but what does all of this have to do with the tree? With the fish and the serpent?"

Fang tried to stifle a laugh. "Don't get too ahead of yourself, Light..." She smiled a bit, folding her left leg over her right, before she reached down to smooth out the folds of her sari. "If you really want to know, you'll just have to hear the rest for yourself."

Lightning nearly rolled her eyes as she gestured at the size of the tome. "I'm not about to camp out here for long enough to hear it all."

Fang's expression fell slightly. "Well, we _could_ ask if he'd loan it to us..." She kept silent for a moment, chewing her bottom lip. "_Or_, I could try to tell it to you by memory, but I have a feeling that this version is _definitely_ something else."

Lightning's gaze shifted to drift along the aisles of books, and her eyelids began to droop. "I really wish... I _wish_ we didn't have all these limitations."

Fang nodded with a quiet yawn. "Same here." She slowly reached over to place her palm atop Lightning's knee, to which a paler hand quickly covered her own. "Light, we'll be okay, though; I know we don't really talk about... You know. Back _then_, but you got hold of yourself pretty quick."

Lightning closed her eyes. "Not quick enough."

_"Don't._" Fang let out a low, quiet sound, and she gently squeezed Lightning's hand with a single click of her tongue. "She came out just fine, and so did _you_, in the end."

Lightning didn't reply, but she started to move her fingers over and across Fang's knuckles, tracing each indent with the pad of her thumb, until her eyes began to open at the sound of approaching footsteps, before her nostrils flared slightly.

Laq returned to his seat while presenting a thin, yet sizable book in his arms. "This was left behind by that very expedition; I would bet that it has something useful to you within." He began to brush away a thin layer of dust from the cover. "Now, _normally_ I would be one to look down upon rifling through someone's belongings, especially without their permission, but this _has_ been left unclaimed for quite some time, now..."

Lightning blinked at the scent. "Anima."

Fang nodded, inhaling it as well. "Wonder why she'd leave it here..." She accepted the book from Laq, before she began to open it to the first page. "She just seems like the type to keep her research close."

Lightning leaned over to look at the paper, and she narrowed her eyes at the flowing, yet tiny lines of writing. "That, she does..." Lightning eased back after a moment, but she kept an eye on the pages as Fang leafed between them. "Well, I guess sticking random stuff into whoever they could find, took priority..."

Fang tried to stifle a laugh. "Guess so." She began to trace her index finger over a sketch of an unusual plant; it was a fern with ragged leaves, somewhat pointed at the tip. "I wonder if she even remembers leaving it here."

Laq shrugged. "The group came and went for many months; I'd often see only a few of them at a time as they returned for more information." He moved to pick up the first tome, gently opening it again. "But it would seem as if we've happened upon a _very_ intriguing circumstance... If we were to cross-examine the historical accounts with those notes of your scientist, there-"

Lightning cleared her throat. "We can't stay for long." She tried to smile at Laq, but her expression was slightly strained. "I _wish_ we could, but between previous arrangements, and-"

Laq nodded before she could finish. "It's no problem at all." He moved to look Lightning in the eye. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but there _is_ something about your reaction to these findings..." He began to tap his index finger along the edge of the book. "This information is of _paramount_ importance to you."

Lightning moved away from the cushioned wall, resting on crossed legs. "It is, but we... We have certain limitations on how long we can be around people." She glanced away, lowering her gaze. "I can't put anyone in danger just because I'm curious."

Laq thought in silence for a moment, before began to rise to his feet again. "Two days." He smiled to himself, before he turned, facing the front of the library. "Give me _two_ days, one to read the book myself, the second to copy down the most important chapters for you to take."

Lightning's eyes widened, and she turned to meet his gaze. "Are you serious? All that, just for a stranger... Why?"

Laq shrugged. "Well, as your friend said, Nsu are trained in the art of judging individuals at face value." He looked over his shoulder to smile at Lightning. "We may have only just met, but there's something about the two of you... I would feel as if I had failed as a librarian if you had left without the knowledge you need."

Fang stood up with a grin, and she clapped Laq on the shoulder as she walked past him. "Good on you, but I'd feel better if we helped to at least cover the cost of writing it down."

Laq glanced at the large tome, and then over at the thinner book. "You know the owner of that, correct?"

Fang nodded.

Laq picked up the thin book. "Are you on friendly terms with the person in question? I would like to see it returned to its original author, if possible."

Lightning spoke up. "Anima's helped us out before, actually..." She kept back the snarl in her throat. "She seems to know her boundaries, too."

Laq smiled. "Return it to her, and any debt you have with me will have been repaid."

Fang glanced over at the front of the library, and she began to squint along at the deeper rays of sun that filtered down through the stained glass. "Two days... Well, we'll be sure to come back in time to pick them both up." She began to walk forward between the aisles of book, with both Lightning and Laq following behind her.

"Thank you for translating the first part." Lightning nodded at Laq. "Fang, you can pick up from where we left off, right?"

Fang nodded as well. "I had to nag some of the elders to teach it to me, back when I was a kid... Damn _shame_, when you think about it."

Laq frowned. "A tragedy, for sure... It is a beautiful language." He cleared his throat as they entered the main entryway, reciting a quick handful of Pulsian phrases.

Fang smiled a bit. "Glad to see that someone's keeping it alive." She turned to face the door, yawning softly under her breath. "Hey, how long was I asleep? Feels like its nearly sundown already..."

Lightning nudged at Fang's shoulder with her own. "Long enough for us to get through a decent bit of the introduction... You'll just have to catch up."

Fang rolled her eyes as she walked up to the doorway. "Well, forgive me for not operating on just a few hours of sleep..."

Lightning nearly rolled her eyes as well, but instead, she turned to face the library itself. She began to glance along the rows and rows of books, and for a long, yet _fleeting_ moment, she wanted nothing more than to move back into the aisles and surround herself with the thousands upon thousands of words, but a lingering, constant image pushed itself out from the back of her mind. She thought back to her sister, and soon, the image of pale skin etched against the endless expanse of winter began to flicker in and out of her consciousness, flooding out above even the sprawling text. Lightning closed her eyes for what felt like an eternity, before she opened them to nod at Laq.

Laq nodded back. "Two days."

Lightning blinked once, and for a split, miniscule moment, a slim, pale form stood just beside the librarian. "Two days." She blinked again, and Laq was alone, standing nearly motionless within the silent, tranquil place of words, and there was no pink hair to interrupt the muted browns of wooden shelves, nor the cool, solid grays of the weathered, stony walls.

* * *

Moonlight spilled out through the ruffled curtains, illuminating the room with a soft, placid glow.

Serah lay back against the softness of her pillow, staring up at the empty span of ceiling above, the likes of which was only punctuated by the round, plastic surface of a smoke alarm. She blinked when it gently flashed red, and her eyelids drooped, falling shut alongside the constant hum of crickets in the distance, or more prominently, the quiet snores of the man beside her.

Serah smiled to herself, curling up deeper into the blankets, and she reached over to gently twirl a strand of blonde hair between her fingers, before she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A woman stands tall against the warm, golden tile, and her shoes brush softly against the light, sunlit dust of the kitchen floor. Her braided, pink hair sways by her back, but several stands simply refuse to be contained, sticking out against the afternoon sun to remain pointedly apart from their fellows.

A child sits beside the woman's feet, barely tall enough to see over the counter, but the little girl finds herself far too occupied with brushing the silken hair of her stuffed animal to notice her mother's movement beside her.

"Serah, would you like to help me with this?"

Serah's gaze remains on the plush horse, frowning when the brush snags against it. "It keeps getting stuck!"

Her mother kneels beside her. "It's not really the kind you can brush, sweetie... We could get you a doll, if you want-"

Serah shakes her head with vigor. "Claire says dolls are dumb!"

Her mother lets out a soft, yet belabored sigh. "Claire says a lot of things are dumb."

Serah keeps shaking her head. "Horses aren't dumb."

"Does Claire say horses are dumb?"

A smile crosses Serah's face, and she turns to to face her mother. "No, we're gonna have tons of them someday! We won't have to take the bus anymore, or walk to-" She's suddenly wrapped in a hug, and Serah squawks, squirming to reach for her stuffed horse again. "_Mooom_..."

Her mother pulls her close. "Serah, horses need _lots_ of clear land, and someone to train and take care them _every_ day."

Serah stills after a moment, having finally clutched hold of the plush horse's mane. "They can't stay in the woods?"

Her mother's head moves back and forth, and Serah is finally released to stand against the kitchen tile, barely as tall as her mother's waist. "Your dad will be back soon, and then you'll have Claire _and_ Riley to play with."

Serah looks over at the counter, standing on her tiptoes to see inside the assorted bowls upon it. "Riley didn't want to play the other day."

Her mother suddenly pauses, but Serah doesn't quite notice the way she chews at her bottom lip, mulling over her words. "Serah, you know that doggies get older much faster than humans do... Your dad and I have had her for a long time."

Serah tries to reach for a bowl of something soft, but her fingers can't quite reach. "How long?"

Her mother finally smiles. "Longer than you..." She turns to face the counter. "Do you want to help me out, today?"

Serah bounces on her toes. "Yeah! What is it?"

"Go get your stool."

Serah runs off for a moment, returning with a painted, wooden stool in her arms. "Got it!" She pushes the platform to rest just beside her mother's feet, before she climbs up to stand beside the counter, staring down at the wide assortment of flour and seeds, as well many other ingredients that she can't yet place.

Her mother reaches over for a pinch of flour. "Wash your hands, first... Remember? No touching food without washing our hands."

Serah whines, reaching for the flour as well, but her mother blocks her way with a gentle hand. "_Serah_."

Serah finally drops down from the stool, racing off to another room with a tiny scowl.

Her mother can't help but smile when the bathroom sink groans to life from the room beside her, and she turns to gaze out the window, staring off into the woods that rest just beyond the empty, rustling yard.

* * *

Tall, darkened grass swayed back and forth beside a pair of pointed, hair-covered ears, twitching in time with the chirping insects that filled the night air with song.

"Light, you okay?"

Lightning licked at her teeth, re-tasting the rich, copper tang from her recent exploits. "Just _peachy_."

Fang let out a soft snort, before she flopped back against the grass as well, yawning with a lazy stretch. "You looked a bit out of it for a minute, there."

Lightning's ears fell back, still twitching as the grass rustled around them. "The blood does it me."

Fang glanced over at where they had sat just a moment ago, gazing along the scattered bones of an antelope, completely picked clean. "Been a day or two, hasn't it? You did fine up in the city, though."

Lightning nodded, but her eyes began to drift shut. "Glad you think so."

Fang couldn't quite find it within herself to roll her eyes, so instead, she snuggled closer to her companion, wrapping her arms around Lightning's chest to pull her close. "I _know_ so... I think it helps when you have something else to focus on."

Lightning's eyes slid open, and for a brief moment, she could only stare up at the trio of stars that hovered just above the horizon, before her gaze drifted down to the bones within the grass. "We haven't been thanking them... For a while, now."

Fang suddenly tensed, and she reached up smack at her own forehead with her hand. "_Shit._ You're right..." She yawned after a moment, waving off an imaginary image. "Fine, fine... Thank you, everything we've killed; let's hope you're better off, wherever you are now."

Lightning closed her eyes, breathing out with a sigh. "It's alright, I'm _sure_ they understand."

Fang rolled her eyes half-way. "Got enough sass left in there for the both of us, huh?"

Lightning didn't answer, having already started to doze.

Fang would have smiled to herself had her mouth been currently capable, so instead, she leaned forward to bury her face in Lightning's hair, moving them both even closer to each other. "I love you, stupid."

Lightning yawned, barely whispering in response. "Same."

* * *

Birdsong echoes out over the mountainside, while the creatures in question soar high above the rocky expanse, swooping back and forth within the blustering sky.

A man steps carefully over the stone-covered path, glancing down at the hound at his side, before he clicks his tongue. "Riley, stay close."

The dog keeps at his heels, but her ears perk up, swiveling in place.

A girl watches the animal for a while, before she turns to face her father. "Her muzzle's getting gray."

The man reaches down to scratch the dog behind her ears, but he maintains a steady march along the path. "She's at a ripe old age, just like your dad."

The girl tilts her head to the side, narrowing her eyes. "You aren't _that_ old."

Her father shrugs, before he smiles over his shoulder. "Snagged your mom, didn't I? Old dogs can still get plenty of game, Claire."

Claire looks off to the side, staring down at the valley below, before she turns back to her father. "How far are we going to go? I don't recognize any of this..."

Her father pauses for a moment, and he lifts his hand to shield his eyes from the sun. "Should be... Nearly half-way to Bodhum."

Claire's eyes widen slightly. "That's _far_, right?"

Her father grins. "Good endurance, huh?" He turns back to face the trail, adjusting the backpack against his shoulders. "You're a tough kid, Claire."

"I'm only ten." Claire moves to sit down on a weathered rock, dangling her legs over the edge of the cliff. "But... Promise you won't tell mom?"

Her father soon sits down beside her, idly scratching at Riley's chin. "As long as I don't have to, sure."

Claire's expression wavers for a moment, until a smile begins to form over her face. "I punched one of the sixth graders at recess last week."

Her father doesn't react at first, but after a while, he lets out a long, quiet sigh, running a hand through his hair. "And why was that?"

Claire's smile falls, before a scowl settles in place over her features. "She said Serah was stupid."

"Serah's..." Her father quirks an eyebrow. "Six."

Claire frowns as she reaches to tug at her father's sleeve. "But she's _not__ stupid!_ I'm the only one who gets to call her that, even if she isn't!"

Her father attempts stifle his laughter, but as he stands up once more, he can't help but let out a chuckle. "Promise you won't tell your mother..."

Claire nods, following after him.

He turns, and cracks a smile. "Good for you."

Claire waits until her father has looked back at the path, before she grins, walking forward with just a little more of a spring to her step than before.

They continue on in silence, even when they pass by a large, rigid figure, standing taller than even the man himself. "I want to see who got punched."

An identical form peers out over the mountainside, her ears flicking back and forth. "I can't even remember what she looked like..." Lightning rises to her full height, claws held against her palm. "Honestly though, I think you'd rather see what we did next."

One's eyes widen, and a just moment later, her pupils dilate.

Trees tower above the mossy, shadowed glen, while a quiet stream burbles along between the tall, waving grass. A pair of horns hover just within them, curling beside the water's edge, while a soft set of eyes swivel back and forth, scanning the forest floor.

"Breathe out..." The man holds his daughter's arm steady, counting under his breath. "You've got it, Claire."

She doesn't even react when the rifle sounds, and her expression remains the same when the creature falls, splashing down into the rocky stream. Her fingertip drifts away from the trigger, and her arm relaxes, before she finally, _finally_ inhales.

* * *

Lightning's eyes flew open, and she nearly jolted out of Fang's arms, but the grip holding her was steadfast, gently keeping them both in place.

"Hmm?" Fang stirred, blearily opening her eyes. "Light..?"

Lightning's breath rattled throughout her form, and she began to shiver, silently tightening her jaw.

Fang mumbled something unintelligible, before she leaned in, nuzzling close to Lightning's ear. "...Dream? Was it bad?"

Lightning's eyes fluttered shut. "No."


	10. Chapter 10

Vanille stood just beneath the lamppost, which illuminated both her hair, as well as the curling pair of horns that lay within it. Her vision was still fresh with each glowing streak of sunset, tapering out into the dark, starry sky, and she could still envision the quiet sounds and shuffling of the cafe interior; each motion fell fluidly into the next, until she was finally standing out on the sidewalk once more, beneath quiet cover of night.

"Vanille?"

Vanille paused for a moment, before she was pulled out from her thoughts. "Sorry, what?"

Nora lingered by the sidewalk, and began to smile at Vanille with a knowing look. "Well, I was just asking if our 'first weekend of the month' routine is still a thing."

Vanille's eyes lit up. "Oh, of course! Do you still want to come with us?" She grinned, gesturing at the street. "It's still the same place and time as always!"

Nora nodded. "I'd love to." She turned to face the street as well, and she took a moment to listen to the quiet thrum of evening traffic. "I'd imagine it must be quieter without everyone there at once."

Vanille's upper lip twitched, and she began to slowly nod at Nora. "Yeah, over the past year or so... No Fang, no Light. No Hope." She took a step forward, walking quietly across the sidewalk. "Just Serah, Snow, and Noel's family." Vanille suddenly began to smile again. "Well, Sazh and Dajh join in when they can, and sometimes Lebreau and the others come over when they have the time, but it's been _so_ busy with all the seasonal customers..."

Nora began to walk beside Vanille, and they slowly made their way down to the parking lot. "It must get pretty hectic in the spring."

Vanille nodded. "It's still nice, all things considered." She tipped her head back after a moment, staring up at the clear, moonlit sky. "But yeah... The table's been a little emptier, lately."

Nora reached into her purse, taking hold of her keys. "Well, I'll try to see if Hope can make the trip over for this one." She unlocked her car, before she walked up beside the driver's door. "It's spring _break_, so he can't quite claim any deadlines, now can he..?"

Vanille giggled to herself. "You never know... He might just take on some more 'extra credit' to get out of coming over."

Nora laughed a little. "Oh, somehow I doubt that he'll be too opposed to _pizza_ night." She nodded at Vanille. "It was wonderful to see you again."

Vanille grinned, and she skipped over to give Nora a quick hug. "Same here! Once Fang and Light get back, we need to have another big get-together..!" She spun in place, simultaneously rummaging through her pockets. "Something fun, you know?"

Nora watched as Vanille walked over to unlock her car as well. "Well, maybe Serah can come up with something." Nora smiled at the quiet chirp of Vanille's car. "She seems to be more in tune with Lightning's preferences."

Vanille began to lean back against the side of her car, humming quietly to herself. "Lightning's a tricky one... I can already tell you that she's not into any high-key kind of stuff." Vanille narrowed her eyes for a moment, before they brightened, widening enough to accentuate the ring of orange that haloed her green irises. "Just so long as it's a _quiet_ place; she still has such sensitive hearing, so we'd need to make sure everything was pretty calm."

Nora nodded at that, and she moved to tug open her car door with a smirk. "I wouldn't bring that girl to a rave in a million years..."

Vanille let out a giggle, slowly walking around the front bumper of her car. "Yeah, she'd probably be half-way back to Gran Pulse by the time you told her!"

Nora waved at her with a quiet chuckle, and she closed the door, smiling at Vanille as she pulled out from the parking space.

Vanille smiled back, clambering over into her own seat, before she pushed the keys into the ignition. "Wasn't so bad, was it?"

A soft, quiet voice spread over into her consciousness, but it was clear and almost unwavering. "She's... Nice."

Vanille grinned to herself, slowly maneuvering the car to the entrance of the parking lot. "Of course she is! She's a _mom_." Vanille paused for a moment, before her eyes widened slightly as she drove out into the street. "You don't..."

Four began to materialize within the passenger's seat, and she sat quietly for a while, gazing off into the blur of traffic. "No, I don't."

Vanille drove in silence for a long while, before she glanced over at Four, after they stopped beside a traffic light. "I'm sorry, I just forget, sometimes..."

"It's fine." Four leaned back, staring up at the roof of the car. "How can I miss something that I've never even had? And you, _you've_ never experienced it."

Vanille froze in place for a moment, and her chest suddenly felt tight, her lungs weighted. "Well, I... I had Fang." She tried to smile as the light changed, shimmering a bright green. "The two of us, we're more than just meets the eye, you know... We would always look out for each other, back then."

Four's gaze flicked over to rest on Vanille, tracking each bit moisture that trickled down her cheek. "But you're an adult now."

Vanille suddenly laughed out loud, but she quickly attempted to quiet herself, focusing on the road ahead. "Yeah... Well, I mean, you can _say_ it to yourself a million times, but it never really feels like anything's changed, huh?" She shook her head, quietly tapping her fingers against the steering wheel. "I'm... I know I'm doing fine, I really _am_, but-"

Four closed her eyes. "You miss them."

Vanille smiled to herself, despite the dampness in her vision. "So_, so_ much." She reached up to wipe at her eyes with the side of her wrist. "But, Fang _promised_ that she'd be back before long, so I know that she will be."

Four watched as they began to drive beside a long stretch of grass, and she straightened slightly, staring off into the darkened forest that lay beside it. "Two years."

Vanille shook her head. "They needed it... You could _see_ just how tense Light was; she really deserves a vacation, no matter how long."

Four leaned back against the seat, slowly shifting out into her bestial form. "You think of it, too."

Vanille's breath nearly caught.

Four let out a low chuckle, and she opened her mouth part-way, revealing a set of long, glimmering teeth. "You might not be _quite_ the same as they are, but it's enough."

Vanille tightened her grip of the steering wheel. "I've _never_\- But I've never _really_ acted on it!" Her cheeks began to turn a deep red, and she narrowed her eyes at the road. "It's just stuff like squirrels and birds... Not enough to run off and bite anything!"

Four's eyes slid open. "Or _any__one_."

Vanille rolled her eyes. "Oh, _p___lease__, it's never even been an issue."

Four shrugged, closing her eyes once more. "You're the boss... I'm just along for the ride."

After a moment, Vanille laughed a little, and she slowly began to relax. "Ever since that lady across the block got that canary..."

Four suddenly laughed as well. "The little thing _never_ shuts up, I know!"

Vanille smiled as they began to turn onto a narrower street, and she glanced up at the apartment complex that lay off in the distance. "Just be glad there's a grocery store nearby."

Four's ears began to twitch back and forth, soon swiveling in place. "Somehow I doubt that your neighbors would appreciate their pets getting chased after."

The car slowed as they approached the front entrance, and Vanille shook her head. "I'm not about to start hunting _canaries_." She rolled down the window, before she reached out to slide a thin, plastic card through a nearby terminal, and after a moment, the gate creaked open. "It's funny, I was never able to catch a bird when we were-" Vanille paused, maneuvering her car down into an empty parking spot. "When we were out _there_, you know?"

Four's nostrils flared slightly, and she inhaled, causing Vanille to copy the motion in human form. "You came close."

Vanille frowned, reaching for the door. "They'd always fly away; I could only come within reaching distance-"

Four disappeared for a moment, before she reformed outside the car, staring up into the dark, indigo streaks that still tinged the horizon. "They probably saw your shadow."

Vanille paused in place, standing half-way out of the car. "I didn't even think of that."

Four shrugged. "If you ever... If _we_ ever have to hunt again, just rely on instinct." She turned, gazing deep into Vanille's eyes. "Like you did on Gran Pulse."

Vanille slowly rose to her feet, closing the car door behind her. "It was different, back then." She turned back to lock the car, before she dropped her keys back into her pocket. "Gran Pulse is different... When you come of age, they say that if you don't work or hunt, you don't eat."

Four snorted under her breath. "How is that any different from here?"

Vanille's footsteps echoed against the pavement, and she wondered for a brief moment if Four's ability to manipulate her hearing included the quiet sound of clawed footsteps, both padding, as well as clicking against the rough, man-made surface. "You... You don't see many homeless people in Gran Pulse."

Four's ears flattened against her head.

Vanille continued on at a steady pace, and she soon approached the metal stairway that led up to a set of double doors. "It's communal, sure... But a soup kitchen? It's-" She paused as her fingertips brushed against the slim, metal door-handle. "It's _unheard_ of... If you're too weak to work, or for any other reason, you die. Simple as that."

Four followed after Vanille as she pushed her way through the doors. "Fang never left you."

Vanille kept quiet as they walked down though the front lobby, but as soon as they entered an empty elevator, after the doors clicked shut, she spoke again in a slow whisper. "Even now, it's only because I can take care of myself."

Four stood just beside her, gazing at the colors of the plastic buttons as they flickered in time with the rumbling walls. "Did they ever-?" She paused for a moment, sifting through Vanille's memories. "No, you never saw them again."

Vanille chewed at her bottom lip. "Fang never forgave anyone." She looked up as the elevator shifted, grinding to a halt, and the doors parted before her. "I can't really say I blame her."

Four watched as Vanille left the elevator. "Have you forgiven them?"

Vanille turned to the side, staring down at the vacant hall. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, but when she turned to face the elevator, it was empty.

There was a voice, just as soft as her own, but it echoed loud within her ears, blotting out any other noise. "Can something like that even _be_ forgiven?"

Vanille closed her eyes, and with a sharp inhale, she spoke. "No."

* * *

Plastic trays slid across the sleek, metallic surface, creating a quiet, constant rhythm over the gentle thrum of muted conversation.

Hope stood just beside the wall, leaning slightly against the bright, clean plaster. "Well, I'd ask if you were hungry..."

Three chuckled from beside him. "Non-corporeal, in a way." He glanced up at the crowd, watching the bustling crowds of students and staff as they milled about the cafeteria. "Is there a reason for eating so late? It seems very busy, at least for this time of night..."

Hope smiled a bit. "Classes can stretch on for longer than scheduled, and a lot of people take night-courses in between work." He began to walk forward, whispering under his breath. "_I'm_ not usually even up this late, so I've never been in here at night."

Three followed after him. "Do you think-" He suddenly paused, and after a moment, his form disappeared without another word.

Hope glanced over his shoulder. "What..?"

"Hey!"

Hope froze in place. "Um." He looked back at the cafeteria line, before he began to mumble under his breath. "Is... Is that the same girl from before?"

Three rumbled out a laugh, even without a physical representation. "Sounds like it."

Hope bit back a quick curse, but he began to walk forward after a moment, waving back at the sudden flurry of movement that had skipped out to stand beside him, beaming all the while.

"Hey, great to see you again!" Alyssa spun in place, and she reached over to grab a pair of trays, before she handed one over to Hope. "You remember me, right? Alyssa, Alyssa Zaidelle."

Hope tried to force his facial expression into something _other_ than a blank stare, but it proved unusually difficult, especially when 'Alyssa Zaidelle' seemed somewhat ignorant of the concept of personal space.

Alyssa rolled her eyes after a moment, but she kept smiling all the while. "I walked by earlier and said 'hello' when you were talking to yourself in the hall."

Hope bristled, glancing away. "I _wasn't_ talking to-"

Alyssa only laughed, and she motioned for him to walk up to the dinner line. "You don't have to hide it; _lots_ of geniuses have their quirks."

Hope stood in place, staring down at the tray she had handed him. "I'm not-"

Alyssa shook her head. "Everyone here is exceptional, Hope... No need to act modest." She clapped him on the back, nodding at the counter. "Let's go! We're holding up the line."

Hope glanced to the side, before he began to move forward. "Sorry." He turned to face the counter, staring down at the wide array of packaged food that lay before him. "Just one of those sandwiches, please."

Alyssa smiled at him. "Safe option, huh?" She gestured at the counter beside them, grinning at the stacked containers of assorted dinner-fare. "Ever tried the spicy stuff? Depending on the chef, it's either 'meh', or knock your socks off!"

Hope looked down at his tray, shuffling over the counter. "I guess so." He began to pass by the next display, but his gaze caught on a pile of pudding-containers. "I mostly just stick with sandwiches, or on a particularly interesting day, I get pizza."

Alyssa laughed again as she walked up to him, holding a plate of pasta mixed with meat sauce. "Hey, grab me one of those?"

Hope reached over to place a pudding cup on her tray, as well as his own. "I heard that they make these from scratch."

Alyssa nodded, already striding down to the terminal at the end of the line. "My cousin has a friend who works in the back; they make nearly _everything_ from scratch."

Hope glanced down at his tray. "I'm just glad that they still have this kind of stuff, especially so late at night..." He began to fiddle with the edge of his sandwich wrapper as they took their place in line. "I've only been around campus for a year or so, and they sometimes run out of most things by lunch time."

Alyssa tilted her head to the side. "Was it a busy day? I know most of the professors will either bring their own stuff over to class or eat out, but I've seen a few regulars come in and hang around with the students."

Hope walked forward as the line moved up. "Really? Doesn't that seem-"

Alyssa shook her head. "A lot of them are the same age, you know." She giggled to herself. "_We're_ the weird ones, Hope... Teens in a university."

After a moment, Hope shrugged. "I guess so." He reached for the handle of a plastic door, sliding it open to reveal several shelves of soda. "Any preference?"

Alyssa reached for an orange can. "As long as it's got caffeine, I'm game."

Hope smiled at that, but he still reached for a non-caffeinated drink. "I'd rather be able to sleep tonight, myself."

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Sleep is for people without deadlines..." She let out a quiet sigh, swiveling gently on her heels. "Or professors who don't operate like vampires."

Hope watched as the group in front of them finished their order and walked away, before he began to move up to the terminal screen. "You've gotta get a little sleep, at least." He reached into his pocket for a plastic card, and he swiped it through the slot while typing in what he had ordered. "Otherwise it might turn _you_ into a vampire."

Alyssa laughed as she walked up to the terminal beside him. "Hey, I wouldn't know..." She turned back after a moment to wink at Hope's horns. "If _anyone's_ got experience with supernatural stuff..."

Hope frowned slightly. "It's not supernatural." He picked up his tray again, having already placed his pass card back into his pocket. "It was... An experiment, all based in science."

Alyssa walked up with her own tray. "Are you... Comfortable talking about it?"

Hope paused in place, before he began to make his way over to an empty table. "I think so, but do you _really_ want to know the grittier details?" He looked Alyssa over, slightly narrowing his eyes at her cheerful expression. "You barely even _know_ me, so what's the point of learning it in the first place?"

Alyssa laughed again, shaking her head. "Are you even listening to yourself? That's what people like us _do_; we try to learn as much as we can about everything."

Hope took a seat at the table, before he reached over to unwrap his sandwich. "Well, I don't know if the majority of people think that way, but alright." He pulled open the tab to his soda can, slowly sipping at the tangy liquid. "It started... With an injection."

* * *

Claws rose, unfurling into the air, while a set of bright orange rings stretched out, seeping down into each of the light, blue-green irises.

"The third, presumably another native to Cocoon."

"Specifically?"

"Palumpolum. I've already sent the DNA samples down to the lab, but you know how those idiots operate..."

"Don't remind me."

Something suddenly shone bright in his eyes, and he blinked rapidly, struggling against the sedatives that churned back and forth, rumbling throughout his veins.

"Orange, like the others."

"Didn't Doctor Nabaat... The _former_, show signs of similar coloration?"

"I wasn't on the original charter. I wouldn't know."

Thin, layered sheets of carapace ground against each other, widening to reveal long, sharp teeth.

"_Watch_ it... Who knows how long the sedative will last with those regeneratives already infused!"

"Fine, I'll inject another dose."

A split second of intense, wracking pain, before his muscles slackened, collapsing down, deep down into the darkness, and his eyes fell shut.

"Subject Three... Subject seems extremely receptive to even our smallest dose... Look, it's already asleep."

_Asleep..?_

A different voice, sharper than the others. "I want a heart monitor on that one, right now!"

"Doctor Nabaat, we were concerned that-"

A thick file slammed against the wall, and white pages fluttered down, landing softly beside his ears. "NOW!"

His consciousness drifted, swimming back and forth, in and out, spinning in circles, faster and faster, until it was nearly out of-

"There."

His eyes flew open, gasping as his breath was forced away, out from his lungs, before a new, freezing gust rushed in to replace it.

Pale, trembling fingers held the mask in place. "You will _not_ die on me." Narrowed, blurry eyes stared down at him, piercing deep into his muddled, hazy thoughts. "Not like the others..." The eyes closed, and his vision began to fade, bleeding out into an wide, endless white.

"You're too important, Subject Three... To all of us."

* * *

Heavy, gray clouds rolled out across the plains, hanging low over the misty, whispering field.

Pale ears swiveled back and forth. "It's quiet."

Carapace parted, baring large, pointed teeth. "Bugs don't like the rain, I'd bet."

A sudden burst of thunder pierced the silence, rumbling out over the dry, dusty earth.

Green eyes turned skyward, before they closed at the sight of rain, soon pattering against the dark, hardened carapace. "About time."

After long a moment, Fang opened her eyes to watch the downpour as it came down in torrents, flattening her hair back into a darker mass. "Glad we left the books up there, huh?"

Lightning narrowed her eyes within the rain, squinting to make out Fang's form. "Will you be able to smell our way back?"

Fang shrugged. "Probably not, but hey... What's another adventure, eh?" She laughed under her breath, shivering with a quick shake of her head. "Just a little water, you know."

Lightning looked down at the drenched sari that clung to her shoulders and chest, and she began lowering into a crouch within the grass. "It might be better for us to wait this out."

Fang scoffed. "C'mon, what's a bit of rain?" She walked over to tug at Lightning's horns, but her foot suddenly slipped against a patch of mud, sending them both toppling to the ground.

"Fang!" Lightning attempted to twist away, and she reached over to pry at Fang's hands. "Fang, what are you _doing?_"

Fang flailed about in the mud for a moment, before she righted herself, releasing Lightning's horns. "Sorry, sorry! It's just too _damn_ slippery..."

Lightning sat up, and for a split second, her eyes were unreadable, before they narrowed with mirth, barely containing the laughter that threatened to rumble out from her chest.

Fang rolled her eyes, rising up from the muck. "Yeah, yeah." She flicked her arm to the side, swatting at the mud on her chest with her other. "I make _one_ little slip up, and suddenly it's comedy hour."

Lightning clutched at her stomach. "It's not _that_..." She closed her eyes, wrinkling at the corners. "You.. You _dumb_ goof."

Fang snickered as well, and she extended her arm for Lightning to take hold of, before she heaved away, dragging them both back up to their feet.

"I like it when you laugh." Fang's eyes glimmered beneath the falling rain, half-lidded. "Do it some more, yeah?"

Lightning quieted, standing silently within the downpour. "You'd have to do something funny."

Fang slowly raised the point of her index finger to her own chin. "Hmm, how to amuse the great Lightning Farron..?"

Lightning rolled her eyes, but she watched from the corner of her vision as Fang began to circle her.

"I dunno... Physical comedy seems just a little too cliché."

Lightning tipped her head to the side. "So? You could always-" She suddenly gasped as Fang's shadow disappeared, and by only a split-second reflex did Lightning manage to maneuver out from her grasp, racing off into the field as Fang landed in her place, before she barreled off as well.

Fang's claws sank deep into the muddy, crumbling earth, and her lungs soon heaved with every lengthened stride she took, but she kept a steady pace, tracking each and every muted footfall that Lightning left in her wake, until they had moved upon a tall, grassy hillside, and Lightning turned mid-stride, leaping up into the air.

Claws splayed, her eyes went wide beneath the rain; Lightning flew backwards, leaping neatly above a small, rocky outcrop.

Fang skidded to a halt just as the set of twin, clawed feet touched down upon the rocky earth, skittering off with the force of impact, and her eyes widened slightly. "Ooh, not bad..."

Lightning's gaze flashed, and a low rumble escaped from her chest and throat, but Fang suspected that it was born of an entirely different emotion than anger. "_You_ try that... _W___ithout__ breaking both your legs."

Fang shivered at the tone of Lightning's voice, so she rose up to her back feet while her tail curled up behind her. "What, with all this mud? I'd probably just knock you over, sweetheart."

Lightning kept still upon the hilltop, but Fang still caught the slight quiver to her stance. "Come up here and _show_ me."

Fang's teeth parted with a purr. "I'd rather you put up a chase..."

Lightning's claws tightened around her rocky perch. "Well." She suddenly rose up to her hind legs, teetering backwards while her arms outstretched.

Fang's blood sang within her ears, and for a moment, Lightning was suspended in midair; droplets of rain fell between each twisted lock of her pink hair, dampened down into even spikier strands than usual.

Lightning landed solidly on her hands, while her back feet swung up and over to the side, finally touching back down against the muddy earth beside her, before she fluidly lowered to all fours, leaping out into the grass once more.

Fang raced to her feet, darting off after Lightning's trail, but it soon twisted in on itself, winding back and forth throughout the tall, unwavering maze of grass.

A sudden, massive force struck down on her back, and the breath was knocked from Fang's lungs as she toppled forth, landing face-first in a particularly muddy patch of earth.

As her vision straightened out, a low, rumbling purr brushed up against one her ears. "I win."

Fang gurgled out a laugh, half-muffled by the mud by her face. "Sure, sure..."

Lightning's body twitched, and after a moment, she rolled off to the side, sealing her eyes shut with a series of quivers.

Fang rolled her eyes. "Look at you, _all_ giddy off yourself..." She watched in silence as Lightning continued to shake, until a quiet, constant laugh finally left her throat, carrying out over the rain. Fang couldn't help but do the same, and she reached over to wipe the moisture from her eyes, despite the steady, gentle rain that kept pattering down, sheltering them both.


	11. Chapter 11

Rain whispered down from beside the wooden platform, while a set of pale fingers began to curl tightly around the weathered railing. Despite the solid cords of rope that suspended the lift in place, Lightning couldn't ignore the waves of nausea that rippled throughout her stomach.

"Light, it's not gonna fall-"

Lightning drew in a sharp breath, closing her eyes. "I'm fine."

Fang was leaning back against the side of the lift. "Alright... Just lemme know if I can do anything."

Lightning nodded. "Thanks." She exhaled, but the fluttering sensation still lingered within her innards. "How... How _high_ does this place go?"

Fang grinned, and she lifted her arm to point at the levers beside the entrance of the lift. "There's three main levels, but to get to the others, you have to climb."

Lightning slowly opened her eyes, but she nearly squeezed them shut upon sight of the dwindling ground below, nearly hidden by the rolling mist. "I'm _not_ afraid of heights."

Fang nodded. "It's just vertigo, I know." She reached over to take hold of Lightning's shoulder, and Fang squinted to examine the goosebumps that lay speckled along her recently-shifted skin. "Hey, if you're getting chilly, we can try to find us some warmer clothes... Although I doubt we'd really need them for the rest of the trip."

Lightning began to sit down, turning away from the open side of the platform. "Yeah, I've hardly ever gotten more than a slight chill with the carapace."

Fang chuckled a bit, and she sat down as well. "Pretty insulated stuff, eh?" She nudged at Lightning's shoulder with her own. "Although, I seem to remember a certain _someone_ nearly freezing herself to death over a particular-"

Lightning rolled her eyes. "I was upset, and that was a _mountain_." She leaned back, resting against the side of the lift. "When I told Serah that we were leaving... I could tell it was cold, but I barely felt it, even before I'd shifted back." Lightning held up her hands, examining the lines upon them, uninterrupted by carapace. "It... It was the quietest that street's ever been."

Fang began to smile, before she closed her eyes, leaning back beside Lightning with a soft thump. "It _was_ snowing that night, wasn't it?" She sat in silence for a moment, but then she slowly opened her eyes. "Yeah, I remember when you ran up to us... Covered in slush."

Lightning nearly smirked at the memory. "_You_ try dodging cars without falling face-first once in a while..."

Fang snorted under her breath. "You took the highway?"

Lightning nodded, but she nearly jumped in place as the platform groaned to a halt, revealing a large, wooden loading dock. "Are you sure this is the right level?"

Fang nodded as she rose to her feet. "Yup, second-highest bit of Paddra..." She moved to push open the platform gate, stepping carefully out onto the suspended pathway. "Most of this level is made of bridges, but some of those pillars have buildings inside." Fang pointed up at a massive rock formation. "Nearly all of it's residential, though; pretty inconvenient to carry supplies or commodities across something like this..."

Lightning nearly winced as the bridge lurched beneath her, wobbling back and forth. "Why would they even _build_ all of this?" She glanced down at the city below, but another ripple of nausea dragged her back to the present. "Surely there's enough space without it..."

Fang let out a laugh as she began to walk across the suspended wooden beams. "There's an old Yun saying... Hmm, how do I translate this?" She thought for a moment, before her eyes lit up with a wry smirk. "'You can measure a person's worth by the heights that he climbs for no reason.'"

Lightning attempted to match Fang's pace, but her damp sari still clung to her body, having only just gotten out from under the rain. "Well, I think that they might've taken this one a bit _too_ literally."

Fang laughed again. "Probably, but it was a whole lot more important back in those times." She looked down to examine the streets below, and a small frown flickered over her face. "Last time I visited, this place was _twice_ as busy."

Lightning let out a shaky breath as they finally reached a solid stone platform. "Is the tree much farther? I'm not sure how many more death-defying heights I can handle."

Fang's gaze slid over to Lightning's face, and she began to rumble low in her chest. "Losing your touch, Farron?"

Lightning met her gaze with a quiet, yet distinct hiss. "There are _clouds_ in this damn place, Fang."

Fang only smirked, and she began to stretch out her arms with a sigh. "All this from the chick who scaled a mountain in one night..."

Lightning's fingers curled at her side. "Care to back yourself up, then?" Her upper lip twitched, and after a moment, Lightning tilted her head to the side, staring deep into Fang's eyes. "Race to the tree."

Fang's breath quickened, and she slowly leaned up to her full height. "No shifting."

Lightning nodded.

"And none of that fancy footwork, either..." Fang eased forward, until her breath started to ghost over Lightning's nose. "Straight across the bridges; first one to touch the trunk gets a request from the loser."

Lightning silently cursed the shivers that ran down her spine. "Request. Alright." She glanced to the side. "I don't see any _tree_, though."

Fang leaned close enough to brush her nose against Lightning's cheek. "Too... _Bad_."

Lightning reeled back as Fang suddenly lurched forward, barreling over the platform with a raucous laugh, so Lightning whirled around with a snarl, but Fang had already leapt over to the next bridge, almost half-way across the length of it.

"_Damn_ it, Fang!" Lightning's legs took off of their own volition, and she began to narrow her eyes, having long forgotten her churning bout of nausea. "So much for honor!"

Fang's sari fluttered beside her body as she sailed across the scattered network of bridges, while the soles of her feet barely touched down against the suspended planks of wood. "Honor? Honor's only good when you're racing an _equal_, Light!" She glanced over her shoulder with a smirk, simultaneously doubling her pace. "I could pile-drive you into the ground, but you'd outrun me in a heartbeat!"

Lightning bit back a growl as she rushed over the swinging, wobbling bridge, and she nearly lost track of Fang for a moment, before a flash of brown, mane-like hair flickered on the bridge above her.

"Keeping up, love?!"

Lightning cursed under her breath, but her legs remained steady, even as the city below loomed further and further away with every passing second, until it was barely visible beneath a thick layer of fog.

"Oi, Light!" Fang suddenly appeared on the platform beside her, and she laughed as Lightning swerved to the side. "Just making sure that you weren't spacing out on me!"

Lightning lunged ahead, and Fang had to leap forward to outpace her.

"Nearly there, you know..!" Fang jumped just out of Lightning's reach, nimbly reaching out to take hold of a wooden post, which swung her to the side, allowing her to reach the next bridge with ease. "Hey, see how close the ceiling is?"

Lightning glanced up out of the corner of her eye, and for a moment, her thoughts stilled at the sight of the swirling, intricate carvings. Each figure was depicted as being joined with the next; an arm would loop out to form the tail of a great cat, while a set of claws would become the teeth of a smiling reptile, stretching on until a single, solitary image caught her gaze, that of a massive, looming structure.

"Wait... Hey, Fang?!" Lightning attempted to even out her breath while keeping her pace as steady as she could. "Fang, I have a question about-" She grimaced as Fang suddenly disappeared within a small opening along the cave wall, so Lightning quieted, racing after Fang with a slow shake of her head.

"You _could_ have-" Lightning's eyes widened at the sudden sensation of cold, damp stone beneath her feet, and she squinted, staring out at the dappled, patterned darkness that awaited her.

"Sorry love... But _I_ wanted to win this one."

A pair of arms suddenly snaked around her waist, and Lightning drew in a sharp, shaky breath, slowly closing her eyes.

"What was your question?"

The back of Lightning's neck prickled under a warm, steady breath, and she nearly shivered at the gentle squeeze at her waist. "There was a carving-" Her thoughts ground to a halt as several pointed teeth met the side of her neck, pressing down gently to tease the fluttering pulse beneath. "Fang, this isn't private-"

Fang hummed against her skin. "Look around."

Lightning opened her eyes, and after a split-second of squinting, they widened at the sight before her. "Fang..."

Fang leaned over to nuzzle the side of Lightning's face. "The roots are supposed to be symbolic, in a way... Well, to put it bluntly, I've heard that certain couples come up here to... Seal the deal."

Lightning narrowed her eyes slightly. "I'm not doing it under a tree."

Fang kept quiet for a moment, before a soft whine rumbled against Lightning's back. "Aww, Light..."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "You get a request, but I have my standards."

Fang huffed under her breath. "You seemed just _fine_ when I started kissing you back in the-"

Lightning cleared her throat, before she reached out to brush her fingertips over the wide expanse of strange, stone-like bark that lay before her. "What is this stuff, anyway? I can tells it's wood, but-"

Fang chuckled. "Fossilized! It's just as tough as the rest of the city..." She eased to the side, slowly releasing Lightning's waist. "Lemme ask you this... Do you think that this thing here is the trunk?"

Lightning stared up at the massive pillar of rough, marbled stone. "Well, what else would it be? I doubt that I could even stretch out my arms as far as-" Her shoulders were suddenly gripped, and Lightning growled under her breath as she was turned in place, but the sound withered in her throat as she took sight of the towering, stony giants that wove out before her, and she began to gaze along the entire, giant span of twisting stone until it had coiled out into the darkness.

"This is the highest level..." Fang glanced up at the ceiling of the cave. "Anything above this is considered to be non-city grounds." She leaned in to rest her chin against Lightning's shoulder, easing her voice to a low whisper. "Makes you feel real small, doesn't it?"

Lightning stared at the weathered gaps that lay high, high above, and she squinted to examine the gigantic, twisting root system. "Very..." Her voice echoed quietly against the cavern walls, but Lightning could barely make out at what point the floor had ended, or where the roof began. "The rest of it's up above us, right?"

Fang nodded against Lightning's cheek. "I've heard that you can climb the mountainside to see the whole thing, but I've never tried it personally."

Lightning glanced up at the gaps in which the roots tapered down from, before she narrowed her eyes to examine the hazy shafts of light that filtered out from the ceiling. "I'd bet we can climb through those."

Fang tensed, and she began to lean away from Lightning's shoulder. "We'd have to shift back."

Lightning held up her hand, watching as her fingertip quivered, allowing the furthest point of her nail to expand, sharpening out into a claw. "You know, I _really_ don't think that those roots count as a 'trunk'..."

Fang's eyes widened.

* * *

Twin pairs of shoes crunched down against the gravel path, while a rustling series of echos carried out from the shrubbery beside it, tousled by the wind. Flowers waved back and forth beneath the gentle breeze, sheltered by cover of darkness, although the smallest rays of sunlight peeked out from the horizon, growing steadily brighter with every passing moment.

"We ran into someone, then... Her name was Serah, and I _swear_, it was like someone had taken Lightning and fused a clone of her with a basket of kittens."

Alyssa laughed, a single eyebrow arched. "What, she wasn't as grumpy?"

Hope let out a quiet hum, and the corners of his mouth twitched up. "Just as kick-ass as her sister, but double the friendly aspect."

Alyssa smiled as well, and she began to gaze around around at the wide, sprawling stretch of grass that bordered the wall of flowering hedges. "But... I thought you said that they were all still pretty wild?" She turned, and the faintest rays of morning sun began to trickle down over her shoulders, illuminating the parted curve of her hair. "Snow, Fang and Vanille."

Hope nodded. "They were... Well, maybe not Vanille." He turned to the side, taking in the gentle breeze that rolled throughout the garden. "She was always friendly, even when we couldn't quite talk."

Alyssa smiled, slowly turning in place. "But they made off alright, didn't they? Snow was the one on the news, back in Eden?"

Hope smirked to himself. "I still can't believe he stopped a _bus_..." He closed his eyes to think back, drawing up each memory in a visual manner. "That was _after_ we went back to Light's place, but the media didn't leave us alone for very long, so we decided to go somewhere else." Hope imagined the grand, welcoming house that lay just within the forest. "But... It didn't last."

Alyssa frowned at his tone. "What do you mean?"

Hope opened his eyes, but only the flickering image of heat, as well as the choking, overwhelming scent of smoke clung to his senses, causing his pupils to shrink. "Nothing _really_ lasts... Just hang on to what you have, okay?" He shook his head after a moment of silence. "I'm sorry, that didn't make sense out of context."

Alyssa shrugged. "It's alright." She closed her eyes, inhaling the scent of flowers. "You don't have to say anymore if it makes you uncomfortable."

Hope nodded. "Thanks." He yawned, shielding his mouth with his sleeve. "How late is it, anyway?"

Alyssa reached into her pocket, and she squinted at the numbers on her phone. "Five."

Hope's eyes shot open. "Damn-" He turned in place, staring up at the gathering brightness along the horizon. "I've been up all _night_, damn it..." Hope started off down the path, before he paused, glancing back over his shoulder. "I'm sorry, but I should get back; I have several independent projects-"

Alyssa waved at him with a grin. "No problem, just get some rest!" She giggled, still waving as he jogged off, but as Hope disappeared into the building beside them, Alyssa's expression fell, and her lips became a straight line. "Rest..." She looked over to the side, staring up at the rising sun. "If only we were all so lucky."

* * *

Sets of claws skittered against the rough, winding rock, while soft, hushed tones flickered back and forth between each vaulting leap, but soon, a pair of bright eyes gleamed from within the darkness, staring up into the light of day.

"Can you make it through?" Lightning had already clung to the side of a spiraling root, but her feet still dangled from the edge, treading slowly against the murky air. "I can't hold on forever, here..."

Fang rolled her eyes. "Keep your pants on."

Lightning snorted. "A bit tough when you're wearing a sari, don't you think?"

Fang chuckled to herself, but she grunted beneath the first press of rock against her chest, and she nearly wheezed when the pressure became tight enough that she feared it might have trapped her in place, but after a moment of short, breathless struggle, she toppled forward, landing face-first against a wide expanse of grass.

"Fang? You okay?"

Fang leaned away from the ground, blinking at the sudden brightness. "Yeah..." Her breath caught, and she leaned over even further, soon landing flat against her back. "Oh, Light..."

"What?" A series of scrabbling noises echoed out from the entrance of the cave, until a pair of horns peeked out from the gap, rising up after a moment, before Lightning managed to haul herself out from the cavern. "Fang?"

Fang only stared up from the ground, her arms splayed out beside her.

Lightning turned, following Fang's gaze, before she nearly stumbled back, staring open-mouthed at the enormous, stony pillar that lay before them.

* * *

Vanille woke to the sound of scuffling paws, and she groaned, burying her face even deeper into the pillow. "Bhakti, settle down..."

A sudden weight jostled down against her back, but Vanille kept still, even when a lock of her hair was yanked a little by a gentle set of teeth.

"Bhakti, _no_..." Vanille grumbled into the fabric, before she slowly turned over to her back, grasping the tiny dog in her arms to tug him close. "Weekends are for _sleeping_."

Bhakti's tail whapped against her side, and he let out a bark, panting at the open window that lay just beside the head-board.

"Shhh..." Vanille began to mumble under her breath, before her eyes slid open, taking in the first, dwindling rays of sun. "It's barely even-" A shrill sound broke the relative silence, and Vanille whimpered, reaching up to cover her ears. "No... Not the _canary!_"

Bhakti leapt down from the bed, racing in circles below the nightstand.

Vanille hissed. "Damn..." She winced as the chirps and squawks intensified, filling the air with a unyielding melody of disjointed sounds and warbles. "_Damn_, damn!" Vanille slowly rose up into a sitting position, rubbing at her forehead. "Did it wake you up, buddy?"

Bhakti's tail thumped against the carpet.

Vanille reached up to rub away the sleep from her eyes, yawning slightly at the chill breeze that billowed out from her window. "Warm night, huh?" She stood up with another yawn, before she reached over to pull the window shut. "Glad it didn't rain again..."

Bhakti leapt up to his feet, scampering past the open door and out into the hallway.

Vanille smiled to herself. "You want breakfast?"

A loud bark echoed out from the hall.

Vanille laughed under her breath. "Okay, okay... I'm on it." She pulled a robe over her nightshirt, before she began to amble out after Bhakti. "You'd think you were starving, or something." Vanille suddenly paused as a more distinct sound rang out over the constant birdsong, and she turned to gaze at the kitchen. "Who'd be calling this early?" She shrugged to herself, before she walked over to the tile floor, pouring out a bowl of dog-food as she reached for the phone. "Hello?"

"Vanille? Hey, sorry for calling so early-"

Vanille smiled as she set down the bowl. "Serah, hi! Is everything okay?"

Serah laughed a little. "Yes... I'm just-" She paused for a moment, before she let out a short breath. "Vanille, I need to ask you a favor."

Vanille leaned back against the counter, watching as Bhakti began to eat. "Yeah?"

Serah paused again. "I haven't baked anything in years... And you've gotten so good at it."

Vanille grinned. "Not seeing a favor yet..."

Serah laughed a little. "Next week is pizza night, remember? The day after, would you come over and bake some bread with me? I just... I _need_ to remember how, and we haven't seen much of each other, lately..."

Vanille kept quiet for a moment, before she nodded to herself. "Of course." She turned around, reaching over to rummage through her cabinets. "You want me to bring the supplies, or do you..?"

"No, I'll pick some up before then." Serah let out a soft hum, but it was barely audible. "Thank you, Vanille... It really helps."

Vanille frowned at Serah's tone. "Are you sure you're okay? You sound a little down..."

Serah tried to laugh. "Yes, I'm just a bit caught up with things; we got the results back, this time."

Vanille grinned again, and she hopped up to sit on the counter. "I ran into Nora yesterday, I know! Twins, Serah, you _poor_ thing!"

Serah's laugh was louder this time, clearer. "I know, I know..!" She sobered after a moment, speaking in a hushed tone. "They asked if we wanted to know the genders, but we both decided it would be better as a surprise." Serah began to mutter under her breath. "I _swear_, if we have to repaint..."

Vanille giggled. "Just don't stress it; I know you guys will do fine... Lebreau's been giving Snow the time off as paid leave, right?"

"For the first few months, yeah, and after that, he'll be taking certain days off to stay home and help." Serah paused for a moment. "If it were any other job..."

Vanille nodded. "Yeah, Lebreau's not in it for the money; have you ever seen the garage out back?"

Serah audibly shuddered. "Vanille, I'd rather not-"

Vanille rolled her eyes. "_Ex_-mercenaries, my ass; they've still got a flamethrower and everything!"

"Vanille!"

Vanille let out a sigh. "Fine, fine." She smirked to herself. "Well, tell Snow that I said hi!"

Serah laughed after a moment. "I will... See you this weekend."

Vanille nodded, closing her eyes. "See you then."

* * *

The dark branches curled in place, reaching out into the sky, cleaving the clouds as they rolled, churning past, leaving a shimmering mist in their wake. The winding pillars towered without leaves, but even the tiniest branch stood strong, a silent testament to the ages.

Lightning would never recall such an urge at any other time, but for a moment, a mere, split second... She wanted nothing more than to leap up, to climb deep into the winding, darkened bark, to hide herself away alongside the sleeping, gentle titan.

After what felt like hours of simple silence and contemplative thought, Fang began to speak, barely whispering over the wind. "I've never been up here before... It's just like the stories, though."

Lightning stirred from where she sat within the tall, waving grass, and she turned, gazing down into the deep green rings of Fang's eyes. "Tell me one."

Fang smiled at her, then, having already shifted back into her human form. "That sounds like a request... And _neither_ of us have touched that trunk."

Lightning leaned over, and her face slowly began to change; carapace folded, twisting away to reveal her soft, human skin. "Well, we could call it a draw... Both of us get a request." Her voice brushed against Fang's cheek, while her eyelids began to droop.

A smile eased over Fang's lips. "Kiss me."

Lightning's breath quickened, and she leaned down into a warm embrace, soon wrapped within strong, gentle arms, held snugly against Fang's chest.

"Mmm." Fang moved to nip at Lightning's bottom lip, teasing along the soft, flexible skin. "Been too long, huh?"

Lightning kissed her then, and she drew out a low, rumbling purr from within Fang's chest. After a moment, she slid her tongue across the pointed edge of a canine, barely escaping without a cut.

Fang opened her eyes, and she slowly began to pull back. "Light, _careful_..."

Lightning only mumbled, attempting to push herself closer to Fang's body, which proved extremely difficult when they were already pressed up against each other. "It's fine, Fang."

Fang rolled her eyes. "I don't care if it heals fast; I don't want you to prick yourself."

Lightning's upper lip curled, revealing her own set of canines. "How do you think I've handled these for so long? I've gotten good at avoiding it."

Fang snorted, but she began to smile again. "Well... Do you _really_ want a story as your request? I'm more than willing to tell you one in the first place."

Lightning quirked a single eyebrow, staring down at Fang. "And I'm more than willing to get intimate in a _private_ area."

Fang's grin widened. "A story it is... Well, you've already heard the one for this tree." She closed her eyes, and Lightning couldn't help but study the way that her brown mane of hair had splayed out in the grass. "How about this one, then..."'

* * *

The great darkness was all that they knew, and by that matter, they knew very little of light... Save the distant, pale stars that lingered in the sky above. Luck drove the scattered tribes to seek their fortune in the forest, and one day, a small hunting party caught sight of a great, towering stag... Named Hecatoncheir.

The group had soon circled it, but each of them were in awe of the unusual, glowing points that the beast bore upon its mighty horns, and they began to covet such a glow... But who would claim the antlers, once they had felled the noble beast?

The eldest Yun claimed that the horns should be divided equally, but his tribe-mates disagreed; what if the glow would cease once they broke the antlers apart? What if the _same_ should happen if the beast were to fall?

They argued for hours, and in the time that it took them to approach a decision, the stag had caught wind of their scent, and it soon fled deep into the forest... But there is an old saying among the Yun, that once a prize has been sighted, that it is most dishonorable, as well as incredibly unlucky to simply abandon it.

So, they followed the winding, scattered hoof-prints, and the cloven tracks soon led them to a wide, shimmering pool, the likes of which reflected each star above so _perfectly_ that it brought tears to their eyes, and they quickly found that none of them could bear to harm that stag that stood within it.

Hecatoncheir was a wary creature, yet fierce when provoked, so he lowered his antlers, warning the hunters, but in doing so, it left him open to their nets, and he was quickly, soundly captured.

The hunters received great praise and awe as they dragged the mighty stag back into their camp, but the creature carried a great, burning grudge...

They wanted their light? They could have it... For a time.

Anula, the gentle child, was likewise enamored by the stag, and she began to spend both her waking hours and otherwise caring for the massive creature, despite the repeated warnings from her elders.

The stag was humbled by the child's kindness, but he could not forget what the hunters had robbed him of... So upon the girl's coming of age, he reared up, bursting out from his binds, and with that, he swept Anula up upon his back, carrying her off into the sky...

They say that even the proudest of Yun were brought to their knees at the sight that they were granted. Hecatoncheir's antlers became brighter than they had ever been before, and Anula's body was swept up into the ever increasing fire, until all that remained was a vast, burning creature, one with feathers instead of hooves, and a brightness to rival the stars.

Phoenix, they named it, the great beast that would grace the people while they were awake, but after they had grown weary, it would steal Anula away, retreating off into the sky, which left the world with all but the darkest of skies.

* * *

Lightning stared up at the clouds, and she stirred, rolling over to face Fang within the grass. "Are all of these stories so unforgiving?"

Fang chuckled. "Life on Gran Pulse is anything but easy... It's meant to scare the living daylights out of kids so that they don't misbehave."

Lightning's eyelids began to droop, and her ears flicked to the side at the sound of birdsong. "Do you think the rain's stopped, down there?" She tipped her head back to stare around at the mountaintop, but she couldn't quite see the valley below. "I don't hear any more thunder."

Fang shrugged into the grass. "Dunno... And right now, I'm fine with not knowing." She yawned, leaning over to nuzzle against Lightning's neck. "Would you be alright with staying here for a while?"

Lightning reached over, wrapping her arms around Fang's shoulders to draw her close. "We should get back before dark."

Fang nodded with a lazy smile. "Plenty of time, love..." She closed her eyes, relaxing into the warmth of Lightning's embrace. "Plenty of time."


	12. Chapter 12

Bare feet touched down with a quiet, reverberating echo, landing softly against the cold, stony surface.

Lightning peered around within the darkness, but after a moment of silence, she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Back there... Did you feel it, too?"

Fang slid down from one of the roots, before she stood upright, quirking her head to the side. "Feel what?"

Lightning lowered her gaze, and after a moment, she shrugged. "Like you wanted to climb it? Just to be up there, in the branches..."

Fang smiled to herself, but Lightning could barely see it within the darkness. "Seems like a natural response, at least for us."

Lightning glanced over at the cavern entrance. "Back at the library, I felt it too." She began to walk up to the gap, before she knelt down, gazing out into the foggy expanse of the upper city. "As if I wanted to get lost in things on purpose."

Fang walked over to her side, and she began to kneel down as well. "Well... I'd bet it's just something to do with wanderlust, Light." She pointed at the suspended bridges, which swung gently in the wind. "I've never seen another city quite like this one, and even I haven't seen all of it."

Lightning nodded, and she slowly began to lean against Fang's shoulder. "Tell me about that one." She pointed at the mural above, gesturing at the lone structure.

Fang squinted to examine the carving, before she leaned back and closed her eyes. "I'm not sure if you'd really want to know."

Lightning nudged at Fang's side with her elbow. "Just tell me."

Fang opened her eyes with a shrug. "Well, back then, when the north still wasn't settled, you know..." She trailed off for a moment, before she began to stare down at the city. "It's Cocoon."

Lightning's eyes widened slightly. "Wait, why would they carve Cocoon in a Pulsian mural?"

Fang snorted under her breath. "Ever wonder where it all came from, Light?" She nodded down at the city. "The north was considered too rough and rocky to fully settle, but after the unification of the tribes-"

"Wait." Lightning shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

Fang rose to her feet. "Let's talk on the way." She waited for Lightning to stand up as well, before she turned, walking down upon one of the suspended bridges. "Back then, there was a _ton_ of conflict between tribes, even before they all went to war." Fang reached out to grip the edge of the bridge as a blustering wind swept through, and she glanced over her shoulder at Lightning. "To make a long story short, the losers either started to integrate themselves back into society, or they left."

Lightning let out a breath as the wind settled, before she glanced back up at the carvings. "They left... To make Cocoon?"

Fang nodded. "We're a stubborn lot, always have been." She continued on, down to another bridge. "Imagine their surprise when they found out a bunch of 'offshoot settlers' hadn't frozen themselves to death over the winter, and had struck gold up north."

"Wait, it couldn't have been _literal_ gold?" Lightning asked, "What use would they have for that in an isolated society?"

Fang nodded. "Yeah, not literal... Coal." She stepped down to another bridge. "They found coal, and a _lot_ of it."

"And coal means fuel..." Lightning shook her head with a tiny smirk. "And warmth during the _winter_; it's no wonder they were able to expand across the continent."

Fang suddenly pointed off into the distance, gesturing at the platform that led to the lifts. "Yup, and before they knew it, boom! A civilization to rival Paddra, or even Haerii."

Lightning glanced at the platform. "Haerii?"

Fang waved her hand to the side. "Yeah, but that's a history lesson for another day, Light." She stepped down to another bridge, before she turned back for a moment to wrap her arm around Lightning's shoulders, drawing her close. "Hey... What do you say we find something to eat, then somewhere to rest the night?"

Lightning nodded. "Sure, but I thought you said that Gran Pulse operates on trade alone?" She looked down at herself. "We don't have much to offer, Fang."

Fang only smirked. "Again, think less literal." She held up her free arm, before she tightened her fingers into a fist, accentuating the muscles along her arm. "If you can't _trade_, you've gotta work for your dinner."

* * *

The door swung shut behind him, and Hope began to slowly trudge across his room, before he finally flopped down against the bed with a sigh.

"Thank you."

Hope closed his eyes, focusing deeper on the voice within his head. "For going outside?"

"That, and for making the effort to be a bit more social."

Hope scoffed under his breath, turning aside. "I'm not exactly a hermit, you know."

"I know, but I get bored sometimes... It's hard, living without your own body."

Hope opened his eyes, and after a moment, they began to narrow. "Do you hear that?"

"I hear everything that you hear."

Hope sat up with a shiver, and he slowly began to turn, until his gaze settled upon his desk, or more specifically, his open laptop.

"Oh? Now _that_ is most interesting."

Hope's eyes widened, breath frozen in his throat. "Carbuncle...?"

Balancing against the seat of his chair, the tiny dog stared back at him, while his paws remained firmly set on the keyboard; the screen itself lay mostly blank, save for a single word, repeating over and over, until it nearly covered the page.

_dogdogdogdogdogdog_

* * *

Thick fibers snapped in half, cleft downward as the metal blade cracked against the dry material, finally smashing down against a thick, wooden surface.

"Damn..." Fang raised her hand with a grimace, slowly easing her fingertips against each other. "Gonna get blisters after all this."

Lightning rolled her shoulders, and she brought down her own hatchet against a particularity thick section of wood. "Just wait for the regeneratives to kick in." She winced at the snap of metal against wood, and she leaned back after a moment to wipe away the sweat from her brow. "You were going to explain how this place works."

Fang glanced up with a nod, before she raised her own hatchet. "Okay, think _hotel_." She brought down the tool with a quiet grunt, chopping the log before her in half. "Hotel, but instead of employees, it's run by both travelers and a few dedicated keepers."

Lightning knelt down to pick up the split pieces of wood into her arms, before she stood, placing them within a wicker container. "Like a group home?"

Fang nodded. "Temporarily, of course, and if they catch someone freeloading, it's back on the street with them..." She glanced up to smile at a group of people that were mingling about the hall. "But it's more of an honor system, you know?"

Lightning set down another log on the block, before she hefted the hatchet above her shoulder. "How much more of this should we cut?"

Fang leaned back, glancing at the container of logs. "Just enough for a couple hours of fuel, I'd guess." She looked up as a robed figure began to approach them. "It'd be good for us to help out with dinner; easier to make new friends when you're working together."

Lightning reached down to pick up another split log, before she looked to the side upon hearing a soft, musical voice.

"Hello, my dears!" A short, elderly woman smiled up at them, gesturing at the container of firewood. "Would the two of you be so kind as to carry these into the kitchen? This should be more than enough for tonight's meal."

Fang smiled at the old woman. "Sure." She held out her hand with a nod. "Oerba Yun Fang."

The woman grinned through her wrinkles, and she accepted the gesture with a nod of her own. "Paddra Dia Esha."

Lightning kept silent for a moment, until it was clear that Esha was waiting for her to speak. "Oh, just Lightning, or Light."

Esha beamed up at her. "Oh, from the north, I would say?" She walked forward to squint at Lightning. "It's wonderful to meet you, dear!"

Lightning glanced to the side, but she couldn't help but give the old woman a tiny smile. "Same here."

Esha's eyes went wide as Fang hefted the entire container into her arms. "Such strength, even for a Yun..."

Fang grinned, and she nudged at Lightning's shoulder with her own.

"We could really use such strong arms around here, what with the summer approaching..." Esha walked forward with a certain grace, as if she hadn't aged a day past adulthood. "Oh, yes, they tell me that our shipments won't see _any_ sort of delay, but those boys talk through their mouths, while their eyes tell me all I need to know."

Fang adjusted the bundle of wood in her arms. "Something wrong with the lifts?"

Esha shook her head. "No, no, just the young folk!" She walked through a beaded veil, gesturing for Fang and Lightning to follow. "Most have left for greener pastures, so those that _stay_ have much less will to work."

Lightning met Fang's gaze from the corner of her eye. "Greener pastures?"

"Yes, dear." Esha pointed at a stone container, to which Fang knelt down to drop the wood into. "They've up and left us all for _Haerii_, as ridiculous as it sounds."

Fang looked up with a start, and she narrowed her eyes. "Wait, _what?_"

Esha reached down for one of the logs, before she placed it into a low, stone oven. "Oh, have you not heard?"

Fang rose to her feet. "We've... Been out of town for a while."

Esha nodded to herself as she reached for another log. "Bad luck, I say, building _anything_ over those old ruins..." She moved the logs side by side, before she set another two down to balance above them. "But such superstitions fall on deaf ears nowadays; they've set their eyes on Haerii, and no force in this world is going to stop them."

Fang only watched as Esha struck a tiny flame between her hands, placing the match deep within a rolled up bundle of paper, before she gently set it beneath the logs.

Lightning cleared her throat after a moment. "Would you like us to help you with dinner?"

Esha beamed again, while firelight danced across her wrinkled smile. "Only if you'd like to, dear." She knelt down to pull a basket out from beneath the wooden table, before she set it down before her. "You've both done more than enough already, with that firewood."

Fang slowly dragged herself away from her thoughts. "We'd love to." She glanced at the table, before she began to examine the wrapped containers. "What's on the menu?"

Esha laughed, and she handed Fang a worn, wooden utensil. "Buns, to start." She handed Lightning a hefty parcel. "Start separating those from the bone, if you will."

Lightning pulled open the wicker container to stare down at a plucked, wrinkled bird, which had been preserved with both salt, and a strange chill. "How is this still cold?"

Fang reached over to poke at the side of the container. "Containers of gel fit in the sides; can't tell you how handy those were for transporting perishables over long distances."

Esha nodded. "We should get the dough started, dear." She smiled up at Fang. "After we have them put together, we can start on the soup."

Fang reached over to spread a bit of flour over her fingers. "Wish I still had my tools from back in the day; Vanille and I had a system set up-" She nodded at Esha. "Another friend... She'd never let the terrain stop us from cooking up a storm."

Esha began to mix several dry materials together. "I'd imagine a Yun could hunt wherever she goes."

Lightning set down a long, curved bone against the counter, before she maneuvered the point of a small knife up the opposite side of the carcass. "We've found plenty of game over the past few years."

Esha's gaze flickered up to examine Lightning's horns, and then to Fang's. "I can imagine, most of the folks here just make do with domesticated animals."

Fang snorted under her breath, to which Esha rapped at her shoulder with the handle of a rolling pin. "Not near the _food_, dear!"

Wincing a bit, Fang took a small clump of dough into her hands. "Okay, okay... Wanna hear about my first unsupervised hunt?" A smile began to curve over her lips. "It's a good story, if a bit..." Fang paused, thinking back. "Well, anticlimactic."

Lightning only nodded as she slid her knife through the duck carcass.

Esha smiled. "Go ahead, dear."

Fang closed her eyes for a moment. "I was young... Real young."

* * *

Bare footsteps tread quietly over the mossy, fallen trees, shadowed by the long, metal spear that rested against the back of its owner; her hair lay in short, messy curls, darkened against her toned, tan skin. She made her way silently throughout the branches, accompanied only by a child of roughly the same size.

"How much f_urther?_" Her companion sighed, leaning away to rest against a stray branch. "My feet hurt."

The first child narrowed her eyes. "This is too _important_ to get lazy over; don't you want to be one step closer to your name-day?" She turned back for a moment, gazing at the other girl with a grimace. "If you didn't want to hunt, you shouldn't have followed me out here."

The second child merely rolled her eyes in response.

"Just stay there, then." She dropped down to the forest floor, waving off her companion. "But I'm _not_ letting you take any credit unless you help me out."

"Hm. A race, then?" The second child sat upright, and her long, dark hair cascaded down to rest across her shoulders. "First to make a kill wins."

"Are you serious? I've never even been _alone_ on a hunt-" The first child paused as an odd sensation bubbled up within her chest, and her eyes narrowed at the smug expression that crossed her rival's face. "Fine... But we need to stay close enough to track each other, though."

The second child grinned, slipping down from her perch, only to dart away into the forest. "Better get going, then!"

"Cheater!" The first child raced off as well, staring daggers into the dense wood as she dropped her voice to a harsh whisper. "Don't scare anything off!"

After a moment, she could hear only her own footsteps, so the child rolled her eyes as she made her way along the forest floor. Birdsong echoed in her ears, and for a while, it was the only hint of life that she could hear, until a faint, snuffling sound caught her attention.

"Nice..." She could scarcely hear her own voice as she reached up for her spear, as well a long length of rope from the belt of her sari. "Here, piggy piggy..."

The diminutive boar was stuffing its snout into a particularity dense patch of fungus, and it chomped away without a care in the world. Its tail flicked from side to side, occasionally swatting at the various insects that buzzed about its bristly hide.

With the rope held tight in her fingers, she eased to the side, keeping just out of the boar's line of vision, until she stood directly behind it. She readied her arms, but a flicker of movement caught her gaze, and she looked up with a silent gasp.

The face that awaited her was blank, but after a moment, she caught a wicked grin, as well as the lowering of an obscene gesture through the tangled branches above.

Her face nearly flushed with a scoff, but she held fast against her rope, throwing it forward with a quiet grunt, until it fell fast against the wrinkly neck of the boar.

A startled squeal broke the silence, and the child yanked back, hauling the creature down onto its side.

"Hey! No you don't!" The second child dropped down to the forest floor, a slim knife held tight in her hand, and she raced forth until it was buried deep into the neck of the boar.

"You damn_ cheater!_" The first child hauled back on the rope, until the boar was dragged back to land beside her feet, and she held out her spear at the other child, finally sporting a grin on her face. "Back!"

The second child kept completely still, silent as the blood trickling down from her knife.

"Are you even listening?!" The first child had to shout over the frantic squealing of the boar; the rope was still tight around its neck as it thrashed against the forest floor. "I _said_-"

She stilled as a warm gust billowed out over the back of her sari, and the child's breath caught in place, freezing the blood within her veins.

The second child stood stark still, until a single word left her lips. "Shit."

* * *

Lightning stared down at the crackling fire, watching the thick broth began to burble, before she moved her ladle about, stirring the pot. "So... What was it? The boar was small, you said."

Esha chuckled under her breath, rolling up a bit of dough. "A mother boar? Much too predictable... How about a_ tiger?_"

Fang smirked as she began to grind the shredded meat down into a paste, stirring in a variety of both sweet and savory spices into the shallow bowl. "Sadly, it was neither..."

* * *

"Hi guys."

The second child scowled, glaring down at the third. "_Basu_, go home!"

"Why?" A short, chubby boy moved out from the darkness, staring down at the wriggling boar. "I wanted to see."

Tightening her grip around the rope, the first child readied her spear. "Really? A little Dia like you wants to see us Yun at work?"

Basu began to smirk. "You aren't Yun _yet_."

The second child strode forward, her knife in hand. "Who gave _you_ permission to leave? Kids aren't allowed outside of the clearing, stupid!"

Basu only smiled.

The first child inhaled, before she thrust forward with her spear, and after a moment, all went silent. "Happy now? Death isn't a curiosity." She lowered to her knees, pulling the tightened rope away from the creature's neck. "That's what they say, you know... Yun are the only ones responsible enough to carry it out."

Basu moved to examine the boar. "You don't think a Dia could hunt?"

"No." The first child squinted at the smear of blood as it trickled down the edge of her spear, gleaming beneath the faint rays of afternoon sun. "You're much too soft."

* * *

Fang winced at the look she received from Esha. "Hey, I was a_ kid!_" She set one of the buns within a wide tray, before she reached over for another clump of dough. "I mean, for a while my only friend was a Dia..."

* * *

A child no longer, the young woman gazed out over the forest with a certain weight within her chest, one that had only been present for a matter of months.

"Hey."

She kept her gaze locked on the canopy below. "Hey."

A small girl walked up to sit beside her, colorful bangles clinking softly at her wrists. "How are you doing?" She sported a head of curly, orange hair, which was tied back into pigtails with small, dyed bits of string.

"Fine."

"...You don't look fine."

"I'm _alright_, Vanille."

Vanille stuck out her bottom lip, and she turned to glower at her companion. "Why do you think you can just _lie_ to me like this?" She leaned forward, staring deep into the pair of dark, green eyes. "This isn't _fine_, ever since they-"

A quiet snarl. "Van."

Vanille kept still for a moment, before she reached into the pocket of her skirt, revealing a curved, white tooth. "I was real sick, remember?" She leaned back, cradling the trinket in her palm. "You said it'd keep me safe while you were out."

She received only silence, but her companion visibly relaxed, finally turning to stare back at her.

Vanille closed her eyes. "Dia Vanille... I don't even remember which village I was born in." She felt the breeze ruffle throughout her hair, and she kept silent beneath it, until she opened her eyes with a tiny smile. "Fang."

Green eyes blinked, only once.

"Oerba, Yun..." Vanille gently placed the tooth back within strong, yet gentle hands, calloused from life with the spear. "Fang."

* * *

With a joyful bark, Bhakti spun about in circles, until he had flopped over, rolling about within the tall, waving grass.

Vanille leaned back to stare up at the sky, while her hair drifted out beside her, tousled by the wind. "Do you ever dream? Not lucidly, I mean."

Four's visage lay sprawled out in the grass, her eyes firmly shut beneath the blinding sun. "Hmm. If I do, it's nothing memorable."

Vanille smiled as Bhakti ran up to her feet, leaping up onto her lap with a bark. "Hey, buddy!" She began to stroke at the fur between his spikes. "Well, I still dream about Gran Pulse."

Four's eyes slid open.

"The trees, the air..." Vanille leaned back against the bench again to stare out over the horizon, and her gaze began to linger along the faint outline of the city. "You can see it all, right? In my memories."

Four kept silent for a long moment, until she turned, gazing up at Vanille. "You were sickly."

Vanille shrugged. "Some of the time... But it wasn't permanent."

Four blinked, rising up to her haunches. "You won't get sick with me." Her ears flicked back and forth. "I'll chase it down before it can make you suffer."

Vanille's eyes widened slightly. "You can do that?"

Four scoffed, glancing away. "How the heck do you think you made it through flu season without a shot?"

Vanille sat without speaking for a moment, before she reached up to cover her mouth, stifling a laugh. "Sorry, I guess I just didn't notice..."

Four's ears flattened against her head. "I'm in your _blood_, Vanille." She relaxed after a moment, settling back within the grass. "I mean, your blood is probably a lot different than before, but I can still regulate what goes on in it."

Vanille shivered a bit. "It's kinda weird, sharing a body..."

Four shrugged. "It's still yours; I'm just hitching a ride, I suppose."

Vanille nodded after a moment of silence. "Hey Bhakti, you wanna play fetch?"

The little dog leapt off of her lap, before he landed down in the grass with a bark.

Vanille smiled, giggling as she rose to her feet. "I'll take that as a yes..."

* * *

The telephone felt clammy beneath his fingertips, and Hope found that he could scarcely stop shivering as he gripped his notebook in one hand, dialing slowly with his other. "A-Anima?"

"Hope? I do _hope_ that you know what time it is."

Hope glanced at the clock upon his bedside table. "Um, sorry... But I have a question. It's important."

A quiet sigh. "Yes?"

Hope watched the pair of paws that moved methodically over his keyboard, entering the same word over and over again. "Just how smart are these dogs supposed to be?"

* * *

Muted footsteps sounded within the wide, cozy hall; gentle conversation still lingered throughout the low, polished tables, while the scent of food, both savory and otherwise filled the air with a soft, yet unyielding sense of solace.

Lightning's eyes lay shut, but her ears rang with each sound and spoken word within the room, and she soon exhaled, slowly relaxing against the cushion that she sat upon.

"Yeah, so it was at that point we realized that a vacation was due..." Fang's eyes were bright beneath the low, flickering candlelight, while her story held the attention of the entire table. "We said our goodbyes, and then we came out here for a couple of years."

"But the others remained in Cocoon?" A young girl sat across from them, but her plate was mostly uneaten. "They're safe, right?"

Fang nodded with a gentle smile. "After a while, we decided that the current threat level was enough for each of us to handle on our own, especially with those from lab finally getting locked up."

The girl smiled back. "Well... I'd bet that your friends will be happy to see you again."

Lightning opened her eyes. "Family can go far beyond blood." Her eyelids drooped once more, and she began to roll her shoulders with a quiet sigh. "They're patient, and we'll be back soon."

Fang slowly reached over to wrap her arm around Lightning's shoulders. "You look ready to nod off."

Lightning only shrugged.

Fang stacked up their plates with her free hand, and she looked back to wink at the girl across from them. "Eat up, kiddo; then you can say that you've sampled the cuisine of the great Lightning Far-" With the breath knocked from her lungs, Fang attempted a low laugh, before she slowly rose to her feet. "I'd better get grumpy to bed."

Lightning stood up on her own, but after they had walked out through the doorway, she leaned over to rest the side of her face against Fang's shoulder. "Well... 'Grumpy' isn't all that enthused with the idea of going outside to sleep."

Fang smirked, placing their plates down upon a flat counter-top as her eyes went half-lidded. "Mmm, would grumpy be more inclined to use a sleeping mat?"

Lightning glanced over at a nearby stairwell. "How thick are these walls?"

Fang's eyes shot open.

* * *

"_Very_ interesting." Anima leaned back in her chair, gazing along at the document on her computer screen. "Has he done anything else since you sent me this?"

Hope's voice wavered a bit as he spoke over the phone. "No, but he's... He's just staring at the window. Nothing unusual."

Anima adjusted the phone in her hand, before she swiveled around in her chair, glancing down at the assorted, plush cushions that housed a multitude of slumbering dogs. "I must say, none of my companions have ever shown even the slightest interest in digital technology." Anima rested an index finger over her chin with her free hand. "Not in the _slightest_... But this makes some level of sense, actually."

"What? How?"

"Sentience, Hope." Anima turned her chair around to stare at the document once more. "If Carbuncle is seeking out a way to communicate with you, then he must have something to say."

The line was silent for a while, until Hope spoke again. "He's not _acting_ weird, though... Just sitting there."

Anima shrugged. "Give it time... And whatever you choose to do, do _not_ push him." She reached for a switch on her computer, dimming the display. "If he does have something to tell you, let it be on his own time."

"Okay... Thank you."

Anima nodded, before she let out a quiet yawn. "It's no problem... I _would_ like to get back to sleep, though, and I suggest you do the same."

"I will." Hope paused. "And I'll send over anything else he types."

Anima rose from her chair. "I look forward to it."

* * *

Quiet, broken gasps left her mouth, while her body shuddered, beads of sweat trickling down over her flushed, heated skin.

"Light..." Fang's eyes were half-lidded, and her lips curled in a gentle smile. "There you go, Light."

Lightning whimpered, grasping at the sheets beside her as a thick, molten heat unfurled within her belly, quivering in time with the fingertips that moved deep against her, curling further within her warmth.

"Shh..." Fang's lips ghosted over hers, and her breath shook in time with each powerful thrust, her own sweat traveling out across her brow. "I've got you."

Lightning nearly fought back a mewl, trembling beneath the immense pressure that seared, claiming each her limbs in a tangled wave of shudders and blinding throbs, and after a moment, she curled forward, nestling herself deep against Fang's neck. "_Fang_-"

Fang rumbled, purring as Lightning shuddered against her. "Hmm?"

Lightning answered with a muted, muffled cry; her breath caught, brushing out against the sweltering heat of Fang's skin, and she writhed, locking her legs around the adjacent toned, muscular waist.

Fang exhaled, and she pressed forward, driving her fingers down with a slow, pressing twist, until Lightning jerked against her, quaking, clutching along her back and neck with a series of whimpering cries.

Shivers roared throughout her blood, and Lightning fell back with a quiet gasp, curling up against the warm, disheveled blankets, while her head twisted to the side along the pillow, panting into the woven fabric.

Fang eased back with her fingers, circling around the velvet, quivering heat. "Good?"

Lightning's voice left her throat as a soft, breathy cry.

Fang's lips twitched at the sound, curving upward into a smirk. "Glad to hear it."


	13. Chapter 13

Fang took a great, almost smug pride in her ability to occasionally render Lightning speechless, but the sensation was, as always, so _fleeting_, she mused, as she stared up at the gleaming orange eyes above her; lithe, yet slightly shivering arms had her wrists pinned back, held down flat against the wide, flat sleeping mat.

"Fang..."

Fang smirked. "Mm-hm."

Lightning's upper lip curled, and before Fang knew it, her neck was quickly smothered beneath several deft, pointed teeth, layered on in between short, yet lingering kisses.

"Light-" Fang's mind began to swim, blurred by the sudden riptide that coursed throughout her body, and she whimpered, rocking back against the abrupt, powerful pressure beside her lower stomach. "Light!"

Lightning paused, her knee resting just below the join of Fang's things. "You okay?"

Fang began to pant, her eyes out of focus. "Yeah, just slow, _slow_ down; it's- It's alright..." After a moment, Fang leaned up to kiss her, wrapping her arms around the back of Lightning's neck. "Steady, okay?"

Sweat trickled down the side of Lightning's cheek, but she nodded, lowering her gaze. "Okay."

Fang smiled, swiftly kissing her again, before leaned back with a quiet sigh, savoring the gentleness that soon washed over Lightning's pace; she continued to press forward with purpose, but it was with both ease and focus.

"Better?"

Fang nodded as she let out a cracked, nearly silent yelp, before she leaned up, clutching at Lightning's back, until she nearly fell undone, trembling into her.

"I'm... Sorry."

Fang's eyes slid open, bleary and glazed as beads of sweat trickled down over her skin. "What..? Why?" She still trembled in place, but Fang attempted to sit upright, leaning up against Lightning's shoulder. "It was _good_, love; don't worry."

Lightning exhaled, rumbling quietly above her. "I'm still _so_ new at this, even after all this time-"

Fang let out a low growl. "Don't." She tugged Lightning closer, easing them both down to the blanketed mat. "Hey, nobody's an expert overnight." Fang waited until Lightning had nestled fully into the embrace, and she began to whisper once her own breathing had evened off into a slower rhythm. "I screwed up pretty hard, my first time."

Lightning opened her eyes. "Really?"

Fang chuckled under her breath. "Mm-hm. It was _real_ embarrassing, but the both of us still had fun."

Lightning bit at her bottom lip, hidden from sight against Fang's neck, but she could still feel the chin by the top of her head ease down, listening to her jaw twitch.

"You really want to hear about it?"

Lightning flushed. "_No_-"

Fang smiled, pulling her arms tighter around Lightning's back. "Heh. Would you believe it was with cheater-girl, once we were older?" She exhaled, mulling over the memory. "Vexing little _bitch_, but she was cute, I'll give her that."

Lightning willed her ears to stop working just for that very moment, that moment _alone_, and somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear One laughing.

"So yeah, we fooled around a little in our teens, but it was never all that serious."

Lightning winced. "_Fang_-"

Fang nodded with a quiet sigh. "Okay. Sleep well, Light."

Lightning relaxed after a moment, once it was clear that Fang had finished speaking. "You too."

* * *

Long, dark horns rise in contrast with the pale, scattered beachfront; the green eyes beneath are tinged with orange, nearly unblinking as they scan the bustling village.

"Oerba?"

Fang nods. "How it _was_..." She walks forward, tracing her clawed, hardened hands over the smooth, clay walls. "Doesn't even look like the same place, does it?"

Five says nothing, but she slowly rises up to her back legs, inhaling the various scents and oddities of the town and its inhabitants.

Fang walks forward, and her tail begins to twitch. "Hey, look, that's what _I_ looked like, back then!" She kneels down with a quiet laugh, but the child beside her seems ignorant of the dark, towering creature.

"Hey, little-Yun!"

The child glances up at the voice, but she merely narrows her eyes, refusing to break her concentration upon the boar carcass before her. "Hi, Basu."

Basu trots over to sit beside her, seating himself upon a fallen log in the sand. "Same one from earlier, right?"

The child nods, and she carefully eases her knife in and beneath the thick, bristly hide. "Maybe you can try some, later." Her expression softens after a moment. "After it's cooked, of course."

Basu's nose wrinkles with a laugh. "I wouldn't dream of eating it raw!"

Fang snorts beside her former self. "There's irony for you, kiddo."

Basu reaches into the woven bag at his belt, and he pulls open the leather drawstring with a smile. "Want some?"

The child glances at the satchel, before she tilts her head to the side. "What is it?"

Basu grins. "Panela!" He points at the forest beside them, simultaneously tossing her a square tab of the brown material. "It's made from cane plants; my mother let me watch how they make it back in Yaschas."

"That's near Paddra, right?" The child slowly moves to taste the sugary square, and her eyes widen when it melts in her mouth. "It's almost like... Honey."

Basu nods, before he hands her another piece. "They melt the canes down and turn the insides into something like rope, but then it cools off to make these." He eats one himself, thinking back. "They told me _not_ to touch it, but it looks really neat."

Fang watches as her previous self returns to skinning the boar, but her eyes narrow at the sudden shadow that materializes upon the sand, rising up behind the child.

"Why did you humor him?" Five's face betrays no emotion, even as she shifts down into human form. "Those without use-"

Fang snarls, rising to her feet. "Dia aren't-" She pauses, swallowing away the cracks from her voice. "Dia _aren't_ useless, and even if they were, it wouldn't matter."

Five watches as the children begin to talk once more, and she slowly tilts her head to the side, examining their every move. "You never saw him again... After the village dispersed."

Slowly, Fang closes her eyes. "Well, yeah, but... I'd bet that he's still alive somewhere." The dream shifts, and the village is slowly, yet fully bleached away by a vast plane of brightness, until they both stand in complete solitude. "After all, I taught him how to survive."

Five's irises reflect the sudden, explosive growth of an entire, breathing forest, and her pupils dilate at both the sight and scent of a small, ambling deer.

Basu frowns, glancing down at the spear in his hands. "Are you _sure_ this is okay?" He follows after the Yun child, keeping close by her side. "The elders say that Dia-"

The child rolls her eyes. "They say a lot of stuff... So what? What's the harm in teaching you how to hunt?"

Basu bites at his bottom lip. "It's not _allowed_-"

The child halts in her tracks, dragging them both down into a crouch. "Whispers, now..." Her eyes follow the tiny deer, her gaze unwavering. "Do you really think the _forest_ cares what's allowed? The animals?" She turns to stare Basu in the eye. "They don't live by rules, so why should we have to follow our stupid ones?"

Basu sits silently for a moment, before he nods at her with a quiet gulp. "Okay. What should I do?"

The child looks at the spear in his hands. "Well..." She examines the thickness of his arms. "I think that you'd be strong enough to land a solid blow to its neck... If you were quiet."

Basu glances between her and the deer. "Um... You still have that rope?"

The child nods as she begins to tie a small loop at the end, before she stands, balancing it between her hands. "On my count..."

Basu lowers his head, narrowing his eyes at the speckled creature.

"Three."

His grip tightens, and from the corner of his gaze, he can see her ready the rope.

"Two-"

Basu grits his teeth, and he steps forward, but as he raises the spear, a sudden force yanks him back, and he topples, spinning off to the ground with a soft thud.

Fang closes her eyes.

"What the _heck_ are you-"

A louder, stern voice, one of an adult. "This is not our way."

The child's voice begins to break, wavering as she attempts to quickly explain herself. "We were _just_-"

"No, you weren't... It's time to go home."

Five rumbles from somewhere beside her, and Fang opens her eyes to see nothing but empty, boundless white. "When you disobey your elders, or your mentors..." She swallows, blinking back the brightness. "It was all a load of _crap_, and I knew it, even then."

For the first time that Fang can recall, at least in recent memory, Five smiles. "You kept teaching him."

Fang rises to her feet with her claws splayed out beside her. "I don't take orders from superstitious old hags!" She snarls, squinting at the sudden torrent of white, blinding blotches, pouring down throughout the dream. "Yeah, maybe I'm not a Yun in their eyes, but so _what?_"

Five shifts, rising up into a body of full carapace and spikes. "Is it really that important to you? A title?" She leans to the side, quickly sprawled out over a black, gnarled branch. "You said it _yourself_; the forest has no rules... No titles."

Fang begins to watch the thin, silhouetted outline of two women, still only children in her eyes, as they trek tirelessly across the grassland, weathered and starving. "Yes, but if you don't play by their rules..." Her jaw tightens. "It's all or nothing, in the end... You try to make a Yun out of a Dia, and they leave you both to die."

Five begins to blur, melding in with the gathering darkness. "You didn't die."

Fang tips her chin skyward. "Yeah.. We sure didn't."

* * *

Knuckles twitched as pointed fingers tapped down against the cool, smooth surface, but after a moment, a thin claw slid out from beneath the nail, leaving a trickle of blood in its wake.

Eyelids creased in silent pain, but they did not open, lost within their own deep, slumbering state.

The claw eased forward, digging ever so slightly into the wood, until intersecting lines began to form, eventually leaving the headboard with one, solitary word.

_Animus_

* * *

With a mumble, Lightning woke to the slow, silent rhythm of Fang's chest against hers, and she nuzzled closer, basking in the last few moments of sleep.

"Morning."

Lightning slowly opened her eyes. "Morning."

Fang yawned, blinking in place. "Breakfast sound good?"

Lightning glanced down at herself, and then to her sari, which lay discarded beside the sleeping mat. "Very."

* * *

A length of scarred, twisted muscle lay just beneath mottled, weathered skin, but the leg swung forward with ease, aided by the metal cane beside it.

"Orange juice."

Long, curved claws moved to close around the colorful container. "What about chocolate milk?"

Noel rolled his eyes. "If you want to rot your teeth out, go ahead."

Yeul opened her mouth with a chuckle. "My teeth are _just_ fine."

Caius covered his face with his free hand. "Why do I go shopping with you two..?"

Yeul's tail flicked to the side as she dropped the orange juice down in the cart, simultaneously reaching for the largest container of chocolate milk she could see. "I'd bet that orange juice is _just_ as sugary."

Noel adjusted the notepad in his hand. "Who the hell wrote this list?"

Caius exhaled, willing his temper to fall under control, while his fingers tightened around the handle of the shopping cart.

"Hey, _you_ try writing with claws! It's readable, at least."

Noel whacked at Yeul's ankles with the end of his cane. "You could've shifted back to write the damn thing!"

Caius attempted to smile at the passing family of four, but they seemed far more interested in the spiky, towering creature that argued back and forth with the man wielding a cane.

"You _know_ how inconvenient it is to shift back; I, for one _don't_ like seeing blood and carapace crap all over the house every time I need my fingers back!"

Noel growled under his breath. "So wash it off in the sink!"

Yeul stuck out her tongue as she dropped the chocolate milk in the carriage. "Oh, fine... Let's just see how long the drains stay unclogged."

Caius cleared his throat with a snarl. "_Enough_."

Both Noel and Yeul stilled at his tone, and they shared a single glance, before they quickly moved back to their positions at the carriage.

"I think there's a sale on paper towels."

"Yeah, let's stock up on those."

* * *

"Hey Light, try this."

Lightning looked up to see a thin piece of bread being offered to her, which had been coated in some sort of thick, orange substance. "What is it?"

Fang grinned. "Orange chutney, and I think its got some ginger in it."

Lightning bit down on the square, and after a moment, she nodded. "It's good."

Fang nodded, spreading out her own piece. "Smells real fresh; I wonder where they get their oranges from..."

Lightning chewed the bread in silence for a moment, before a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Hello, my dears!"

Fang looked up with a smile. "Hey. Good morning."

Esha walked up to the table with something held in her arms, and she began to sit down across from them. "After hearing your story last night... I just had to dig these out of storage."

Lightning glanced up, and her eyes widened slightly at a pair of beautifully woven satchels, each fitted with a long, adjustable strap designed to rest over the shoulder.

Fang sat up straight, and she moved her head forward in a tiny bow. "Thank you."

Esha beamed as she pushed the bags across the table, nodding away. "Of course, of course! You'll need something to carry these, anyway."

Lightning cleared her throat. "You really don't need to-"

Fang nudged at her side with a whisper. "Light, its rude out here to question a gift."

Esha waved her hand back and forth as she held up a woven bundle, containing several small tins. "If she isn't accustomed to our ways, then I won't ask her to follow them." She smiled at Lightning. "But I _would_ be very grateful if you took these along for your journey... The north is very, very far, after all."

Lightning accepted the tins with a nod. "Thank you."

Esha pointed at the wicker mesh that held the containers in place. "Preserved fruit, mind you, so it won't be a chore to eat them." She laughed under her breath. "Somehow I doubt that bitter, soggy vegetables would be quite so easy to stomach."

Fang laughed as well. "I'd bet the same."

Lightning lowered the bundle into her satchel. "Is there anything else we can do to help out around here?"

Esha shook her head, still smiling. "It was a pleasure enough to hear your stories, my friends."

Fang's gaze went distant for a split second, before she returned, offering her hand to Esha. "Best of luck to you."

Esha accepted the gesture with her own hand, which was wrinkled, yet strong. "And you as well."

* * *

A grasshopper sat perched atop a rounded, curved section of wood, oblivious to the woman below, rocking back and forth in the breeze, her pink hair fluttering along just beneath the vibrant insect.

_Do you still think of them? I mean, what happened then-_

_Serah, I'd rather just move on._

_I don't want to forget... I can't forget, Light! Just tell me what you remember about them, please?_

_...Alright._

Blue eyes opened to find an even bluer sky, but they creased at the sides, wrinkled by the constant ache in her abdomen, and she grit her teeth, letting her eyelids fall shut with a sigh.

"Hey, you okay?"

Serah opened her eyes at the voice, and she smiled, albeit strained. "Yeah, just achy."

Snow sat down beside her, reaching over to hold her hand against the arm of the rocking chair. "Just a few more months, you know."

Serah couldn't help but giggle. "I know... It's still so hard to imagine."

Snow's smile widened. "Man, I can't even envision-" He paused, and his gaze low. "You think they'll look more like me, or you?"

Serah shrugged. "We'll just have to wait, I suppose." She squeezed at Snow's hand. "My dad was a similar shade of blonde, so it might be recessive."

Snow scratched at the back of his head. "I'll have to do some research on genetics."

Serah laughed. "Or just let it be a surprise..." She closed her eyes, relaxing in the chair. "I'm just thinking about what life will be like, from then on out."

Snow leaned back as well. "We'll just have to see."

Serah nodded, breathing out, and then in, all while rocking back and forth in her chair.

* * *

The door let out a quiet chime as Lightning pushed beneath it, and she glanced up at the bells that hung just beside the door-frame. "Think we're here too early?"

Fang shrugged, closing the door behind her. "It's a library, how early can we be?" She walked over to examine the printing station, noting an open bottle of ink. "Oi, anyone home?"

A voice called out from the back. "One moment!"

Fang smiled. "There he is."

Lightning walked over to a stray, scattered pile of books, and she leaned down to examine the leather-bound cover of the nearest tome. "I wonder if he's ever considered translating these to a digital format."

Fang leaned back against a nearby bookshelf. "Computers are nearly non-existent here... You can see more of them around the border towns, but the most advanced stuff that they have around here would be just simple electrics and plumbing."

Lightning turned to face her. "I'd imagine that rain is easy to collect in this climate."

Fang nodded. "Very."

"Good morning, ladies." Laq walked out with a tome under his arm, and he nodded at both of them. "I was about to put the finishing touches on Kujata's memoir, here..."

Fang moved forward from the shelf. "That was fast."

Laq nodded. "I'm afraid that I was unable to put it down once I had started..." He walked over to the printing station, before he sat down with a quiet yawn. "I have all of the integral parts of the story copied down, but Kujata was... Very elderly, at that point."

Lightning raised a single eyebrow.

Laq sighed. "He tends to ramble, on occasion; I kept as much as I could intact, but his student would often skip over to a brief moment of thought, or recollection... Perhaps a memory from Kujata's childhood, or from the war." Laq shook his head. "I kept not only what was relevant, but also his other tales... It seemed only fair."

Fang watched as Laq pressed down a sharp, metal device into the cover of the book, gently carving the leather with a detailed design.

Lightning walked over to examine the cover. "Did you make that?"

Laq shook his head. "No, this is the design that I've always used for very the same fable, but the images still fit."

Fang leaned over to inspect the coiled serpent, which looped around in a circle as a fish leapt within, shadowed by a tall, imposing bull.

"And here are the notes to be delivered..." Laq held up the thin book, before he handed to over to Lightning. "It's an interesting read as well, but Kujata's tale-" His gaze was suddenly so distant that Lightning nearly stepped back, but Laq quickly drew himself back with a nod. "It was a version that I have _never_ heard before." He turned to pick up the tome, before he handed it over as well. "Keep it safe."

Lightning nodded. "We will. Thank you."

Laq smiled up at her from his chair. "I've no doubt that it will prove useful, at least in some way."

Fang walked forward with a tiny smile, gazing out at the city streets. "It'll be good to have some reading material for the road."

Laq leaned back in his chair, and he gave them both a tiny bow. "I wish you a safe, and happy journey."

Lightning set down the books within her satchel, but as she moved her hand away, a layer of carapace had already started to ease out across her fingertips. "I think we will."

* * *

Vanille watched as Bhakti raced about with a stick clamped between his teeth, and she giggled, walking up to him. "Ready to go home, buddy?"

Bhakti ran in circles beside the building, and he tried to bark at her, but the sound was muffled by his prize.

Vanille was about to follow after him, but she paused, focusing on a distant, subtle sound, one that set the hair at the back of her neck on end. "Hey, Bhakti?"

The little dog paused in place, staring up at her.

"Head on home, okay? I'll be right up."

Bhakti hesitated for a moment, before he turned, trotting over to the fire escape with a wag of his tail.

Vanille turned, and she gazed out over the field, staring down at the wide, chain-link fence that bordered the edge of the tiny park. "You hear that?"

"Yes."

Her eyes narrowed, and Vanille began to walk forward, gazing out through interlocking metal. "Wanna do something crazy?"

A quiet laugh. "Your call."

Vanille's hair bristled, and she glanced down at herself, or more specifically, her shirt. "Sorry, clothes."

All that would remain within the narrow, sunlit alleyway was a patch of drifting, bloodied pigeon feathers, as well as the distinct outline of clawed footsteps within the dust.

* * *

Dark hair streamed out behind her in the wind, and Fang slowly rose up to her full height, claws splayed at her side. "How about that weather?!"

Lightning squinted beneath the heavy breeze, gazing down at the golden fields below. "The wind will be on our side if we head north."

Fang patted at the satchel that lay beside her sari, fluttering just above her carapace. "You ready, Light?"

Lightning glanced back at the towering city, and for a moment, her gaze caught on the tiny, yet distinct outline of branches, high, high above, before she turned, slowly facing north. "Let's go."

Clawed, hardened feet touched down against the dusty earth, while racing, featherlight lungs worked steadily away above.


	14. Chapter 14

Fang tipped her head back as she raced across the grassland, gazing up at the sky. "A rabbit, _really?_"

Lightning scoffed from up ahead. "Hey, you asked me what I saw!"

Fang chuckled a bit, and she began to squint at the rolling, puffy clouds. "Okay, well... _I_ see an eagle."

Lightning stopped after a moment, leaning back to stare at the sky. "I don't see-" She hissed as a large, dark bird passed by. "_Real_ funny."

Fang struggled to stifle her laughter. "A flying bunny, eh?

Lightning barely resisted the urge to smack Fang over the back of her head, instead turning to face the setting sun. "It'll be getting dark soon." She glanced around at the plains, noting that the dense, towering trees of the rainforest were nowhere to be seen. "Hey, how close is Paddra to the border?"

Fang looked up at the horizon. "Hmm... Well, it's a few days travel from Yaschas, which is almost directly on the border itself." She took a step forward, inhaling both the scent of wind and wild grass. "Yaschas, or the Yaschas Massif, is a big, hilly stretch of terrain, but the village itself sits on a low plateau." Fang flexed her claws back and forth, stretching her arms above her head. "_Man_, it'd be fun to walk around the market for a while... You see all sorts of rare stuff in there."

Lightning's gaze caught on a low slope, sheltered by a grassy overhang. "Think we should rest for a bit?"

Fang glanced over her shoulder. "Well, if you'd _like, __but_ I'm pretty sure I smelled a couple of antelope just a few minutes back, or so..."

Lightning shrugged as she began to make her way down to the shady patch of earth and grass. "I'd honestly rather hunt after dark." She sat down with a soft sigh, reaching up to smooth out her hair. "It means a lot less tracking and running, you know?"

Fang sat down as well, and she leaned back against the slope. "I know." She glanced at Lightning's satchel. "Hey, hand me one of those fruit tins?"

Lightning reached into the woven bag, and after a moment of rummaging, she handed over a slim, metal tin to Fang.

"Thanks." Fang maneuvered the claw of her index finger beneath the ring at the top, and she peeled open the tin to reveal several pieces of round, white fruit. "Lychees? Nice..." She poked through one of the fruits with her same claw, before she held it out in front of Lightning. "They taste real sweet. Try one?"

Lightning held out her hand, and Fang let the hollow fruit drop into her palm.

Lightning squinted at the fruit. "They look a little bit like... White cherries?"

Fang shrugged. "Hard to describe the taste, but I'd say they're more like pears."

Lightning bit down on the tiny fruit, before she nodded. "Little round pears."

Fang chuckled as she picked up another. "Wonder if there's any sketches of lychee plants in the notebook... The fruits themselves have to be peeled first, but they have this rough, red coating on the outside; it looks pretty weird."

Lightning reached into her satchel again. "I can take a quick look."

Fang reached for another fruit. "Take all the time you need; this seems like the best place to rest around here."

With a nod, Lightning pulled open the book over her lap, and she began to leaf through the pages. "There's a whole ton of ferns... Some weird flowers." Her gaze caught on a stray, unusual image, and she squinted to examine the text beneath it. "This says: 'Day fifteen: I encountered an individual of _exceptional_ intellect, and over the hours we spent conversing, our conversation somehow came to the topic of psychology, or more specifically-'" Lightning paused, and her ears began to twitch. "'The concept of both the Anima and Animus.'"

Fang paused mid-chew, and she turned to stare at the page. "I've heard about those before..."

Lightning continued with a nod. "'I had already studied the theory in great detail previously, of course, but he began to describe the notion that several key trends of a common Pulsian lifestyle follow the very same logic: Anima, the feminine inner-self of a male, and Animus, the masculine form within a female."

Fang leaned back with a quiet hum. "Huh, I wonder where she got her name from..."

Lightning began to hum as well, nearly a chuckle. "It's probably... Very important to her, you know?" She closed her eyes for a moment. "I mean, if Adam was still searching for who he really was, the concept of an inner, feminine self would have probably had a lot of appeal."

Fang looked to the side, mulling over Lightning's tone. "You seem to know a bit about the topic."

Lightning opened her eyes with a shrug. "It came up when I was researching something, back at home." She looked down at the page. "To continue: 'I dismissed the notion at first, but then I thought back to what I had learned of the different caste-like titles, that of the 'Yun' and 'Dia' in particular.'"

Fang's spikes began to bristle, but she gently leaned back, concealing them against the slope.

Lightning turned to the next page. "'A Yun is the stereotypical male persona: a protector, a provider, and perhaps most prominently, a symbol of authority.'"

Fang snorted under her breath. "It's always been open to anyone, though... Boys, girls, or whatever; you get to make choice once you're old enough to understand it; start training to be a Yun, or do something else and get your name right away."

Lightning moved to point at the image upon the page before, that of a mirrored figure; each persona faced the opposite direction, but their fingers were intertwined. "It's like... Two halves." She turned back to the other page. "'Most Dia that I have encountered seem very humble and happy, but they rarely stray from their place of work or homes... They appear to symbolize the traditional, stereotypical female, and although they are as much a provider to the tribe as the Yun, from what I have seen so far, they choose to live their lives in complete service to their families, as well as to others.'"

Fang grit her teeth, clenching her jaw. "Stereotypical is a fine way to put it."

Lightning nodded. "I remember reading about early Cocoonic history." She narrowed her eyes. "Let's just say that I don't take this time period for granted."

Fang shook her head with a quiet sigh. "Hey... Wanna let off some steam?" She slowly rose to her feet, revealing her bristling back. "Sorry, it just gets me a little pissed off."

Lightning glanced up at Fang's long, dark bristles, as well as the thick mane of hair that lay between them, rising alongside her spikes. "Why?" She met Fang's gaze. "It's only a theory."

Fang turned away. "No, it's not that." She glanced back, staring down at Lightning's eyes. "Spar with me, okay? I'll tell you about it, then..." Fang closed her eyes for a moment. "It's _just_\- Being back there, you know? Dregs up a lot of old memories."

Lightning slowly stood up as well, easing forward. "Alright."

Fang spread her arms, unfurling her claws with a wide, open stance. "Okay, first to fall, and no moving out over six feet."

Lightning began to rumble, deep in her chest. "Let's go."

* * *

A soft, flickering light stood out against the shadow cast by drawn curtains, while a plain, empty document stood quietly beside a small table-lamp.

"So..."

Carbuncle sat upon a wrinkled blanket, twitching his ears back and forth.

"So, um... Nice to meet you?" Hope slowly held out his hand. "I'm Hope, but you'd already know that..."

Carbuncle only snuffled at him, turning in place to curl up on the bed.

Hope began to frown at the tiny dog. "Hey, why would you even go through the effort of trying to communicate if you're just going to snub me like usual?" He received no response, so Hope let out a sigh, pushing his chair away from the bed, and over to his desk. "Sorry, sorry... Hey, if I give you the keyboard, will you try typing some more?"

Carbuncle sighed as well, but he began to wag his tail a little bit, thumping it against the bed.

Hope lifted his laptop over to the sheets, and he set it down in front of the tiny dog. "Okay, so you've already gotta know how each letter works..."

Carbuncle closed his eyes for a moment, before he stood up, easing over to the keyboard.

Hope smiled a bit as he moved to sit on the bed. "There you go."

After a moment of silent typing, Carbuncle flopped back down and closed his eyes.

Hope moved to turn the laptop around, squinting at the string of words upon the screen.

_dogsleepdark_

Hope rolled his eyes. "You really need to learn how to use the space-bar..." He leaned back against the pillows and headboard, staring down at the words. "Did you learn by watching me type?"

Carbuncle slid open a single eye, before he leapt up, crawling over the sheets to jump up on Hope's chest.

"Woah, _easy_..." Hope winced as Carbuncle stepped across his stomach, maneuvering down to the keyboard.

_not dog_

Hope frowned at the screen. "Wait, what do you mean?"

Carbuncle nearly growled, but instead, he moved forward to type again.

_dark not dog_

Hope sat in silence for a moment. "...What do you mean by 'dark'?"

Carbuncle entered one last word, before he leapt away, curling up again beside Hope's pillow.

_shadow_

Hope glanced down at Carbuncle, before he turned back to look at the screen, noticing that he had a new email.

_Hope, has Carbuncle done anything else out of the ordinary?_

_-Anima_

Hope leaned in to type.

_Yeah, he keeps mentioning the words 'not dog', and something about 'dark', or 'shadow.'_

Hope waited for a long moment, and he nearly thought that Anima wouldn't respond immediately, before a new email, one with an image attachment arrived.

_I believe that we may have something incredible on our hands._

Hope opened the image file, and he squinted to examine the single word, carved deep into a large, wooden surface. "Animus?"

* * *

Thick, glossy streaks of red trickled down from her mouth, and she raised her wrist, wiping away the smudges as she kicked the door shut behind her.

A dark, solitary feather fluttered down from between her teeth, finally touching town against the soft, white carpet. Clawed, yet quiet footsteps made their retreat back into the hall, until a soft voice broke the silence.

"Hey Bhakti, did you make it inside okay?" Vanille glanced down at hands, or more specifically, her claws, which were stained, nearly _caked_ with blood. "Um, I'd better wash..." She made her way over to the kitchen sink, nearly bumping into the doorway as she passed beneath it.

"That was fun."

Vanille reached over for the faucet handle, but she nearly paused at the tone of Four's voice. "Yeah... But let's not make a habit of it, okay?" She exhaled softly as her hands moved beneath the chill of the water. "I know that pigeons are considered pests, but just think of the _mess_ I made..."

Four materialized after a moment, standing directly at her back. "So... What? Nobody's really going to hassle you over it."

Vanille rolled her eyes. "Oh _really?_ I can't just hunt in the streets all willy-nilly; people might get upset."

Four shrugged. "Nobody saw you."

Vanille hissed under her breath, and she nearly winced as the carapace receded, dissolving along her hands. "Sorry, end of discussion."

Four leaned to the side, gazing down at Vanille as she began to shift back into her human form. "You should really get dressed; the window's open."

Vanille suddenly flushed a vivid red, and she darted off towards her room. "Whoops, whoops, _whoops!_"

Four let out a laugh, cackling under her breath as very her figure began to distort, disappearing after a moment, only to reappear, perched atop Vanille's dresser. "Hey, how come you didn't leave with the two of them?" She licked at her teeth. "Go back to Gran Pulse?"

Vanille quickly tugged a shirt over herself. "Have you even _seen_ those two when they don't have privacy readily available?!" She scrunched up her nose with a sigh. "They get that _look_ in their eyes, and I don't want to be within a ten mile radius of freaky-time."

Four tipped her head to the side. "I don't... Understand sex."

Vanille nearly flailed backwards, having thankfully tugged on a pair of pants beforehand. "_Four!_"

Four's ears flatted against her head. "_What?! _I just don't get it, so what..!?"

Vanille quickly covered her face in her hands. "I... I am _not_ having 'the talk' with the voice in my head."

Four grumbled, before she leapt down to the floor. "I'm more than just that, and you know it."

Vanille sighed into her palms, and she began to adjust her fingers, staring down at Four from between each digit. "Fine. What don't you get about sex?"

Four shrugged. "Why?"

Vanille let her hands drop down to her lap. "Why, what?"

"Why have it?"

Vanille blushed a bit, and she began to clear her throat. "Well, I wouldn't _know_, but I hear it happens because you like someone else a whole lot, and because you want to spend a lot of time with them, getting to know them... Intimately."

Four sat in silence for a moment. "There's another reason in your head, and I just don't get it."

Vanille shrugged. "To reproduce? Okay, what don't you get?"

Four's tail moved back and forth. "Your friends, the really nice ones... They'll make more friends?"

Vanille nearly covered her face again. "Yeah..."

"But _why?_ I don't-" Four narrowed her eyes. "_You_ don't have those parts when you're like me."

After a moment, Vanille leaned forward, looking her counterpart in the eye. "I _really_ wouldn't worry about any of this, but I'd guess that whatever sort of organism you are, it just doesn't reproduce in that way, or even at all." She eased back, gazing off into the distance. "I _love_ being around kids, but I'm not sure if I'd want any of my own."

Four watched Vanille's expression for a moment, before she began to disappear once more. "What about being with someone else? And don't lie; I'm in your head."

Vanille began to blush. "I have _no_ idea what you're talking about."

Four cackled again, and her voice echoed in Vanille's ears. "Sure, sure."

Vanille stood up with a cough just as Bhakti trotted into the room. "Hey buddy!" She giggled when he barked at her, and she knelt down to pet the fur beside his ears. "Where'd you put that stick?"

Bhakti turned to race out of the room, but he returned just a moment later with the branch in his mouth.

Vanille smiled. "We should probably leave it outside, don't you think?" She pointed at her open window. "At least on the fire escape."

Bhakti leapt up to the bed, before he jumped out through the window, soon returning with an empty mouth.

"Good boy!" Vanille walked over to the door, but she paused within the hall. "And Four? I'm not gonna worry about any of this stuff right now, and neither should you."

There was only silence for a moment, until Four spoke very quietly. "Okay. I trust you."

Vanille felt a strange sense of warmth in her chest, and she smiled. "Thanks..."

"Don't mention it. We're in this together, you know?"

Vanille nodded. "I know."

* * *

"So they _left_ you?" Lightning leapt just above a leg sweep, but she swiveled in midair, aiming a clenched fist at her opponent. "Over _teaching_ her?"

Fang swung to the side, before she jumped up, claws splayed. "_Stupid_, isn't it?" Her fingers closed around only grass, and she hissed when Lightning darted backwards. "'She made her choice long ago', what a load of garbage!"

Lightning winced when Fang's forehead cracked into hers, which sent them both hurtling down, falling flat on her back in the dust. "_Fang-_"

Fang's chest heaved, and her fingers trembled as they kept a tight grip on the base of Lightning's arms. "Sorry, _sorry-_" She choked on her words for a while, before she began to close her eyes. "Sorry. You just start thinking that you've forgotten it, or_ moved on_, but-"

Lightning exhaled as Fang released her arms, and slowly, carefully, she reached up to caress her dark, flowing hair. "Shh, I get it, Fang." She eased her fingers over Fang's pointed, fuzzy ears. "I still get... _Moments_, where I remember how things used to be."

Fang opened her eyes half-way. "With your..?"

Lightning nodded. "They were good people, all the more reason to try and move on... For their sake." Her thoughts were suddenly drawn back to a certain sensation, and they lingered on a distinct tune. "Everything changes, and we just have to try and adapt."

After a moment, Fang leaned backwards, grasping Lightning's hands to help her sit upright. "Hey... It's gonna get real dark, soon... Want to read a little more before then?"

Lightning looked over at her satchel, before she nodded. "I'd really like to know what happened."

Fang nodded as well. "Let's take a look."

* * *

_I have taken the liberty of translating these excerpts of Kujata's memoir into Cocoonic, for the reader's ease of use. _

_Lightning, if Fang is available at the time, there remain a few certain Pulsian phrases that I was unable to translate within the given time schedule, but I believe that she will be more than capable of explaining them to you._

_The following section was written directly after the one that I read out loud, which I have included beforehand, assuming that you skipped through it to read this. I wish a wonderful life to both of you, and I hope that we may meet again someday. _

_-Laq_

Our mentor, Mora... He was a man of very few words, but the ones he chose to share with us would resonate all the clearer, even long after his passing.

My brother was extremely frail, but Mora treated him no different than I, with one exception.

'You are _small_, and your arms are thin.' He would state it as a fact, bearing no malice. 'You will use _these_ to your advantage.'

I still remember the look on my brother's face, the way his eyes grew upon sight of the knife, nearly perfect for his hands.

Although his aim with the bolas was less than adequate at first, he was nothing if not stubborn. I once wished that I had the means to break through the maddening thickness of his skull, but I soon learned that more worthwhile pursuits consisted of catching Bahamut's shadows, or the light of Phoenix itself.

* * *

"Wait..." Lightning squinted at the page. "I thought that the other fable already explained where Bahamut came from? That he earned his name at the end?"

Fang shrugged. "I'm not sure..." She leaned to the side. "What does he mean by Bahamut's _shadows?_ As far as I know, there isn't an origin story for shadows."

Lightning turned to the next page. "Oh, look... Laq wrote out the story about Hecatoncheir and Phoenix."

Fang moved over to examine the text. "Ah, it's pretty much same as mine, and look!" She pointed at the opposite page.

_I had to dig around quite a bit for this one, but it seems to be an interesting variation on the origin story of fabled being that we would later know as Diabolos, the dark creature. -Laq_

Fang leaned back with a quiet laugh. "Now _that_ one I know..." She closed her eyes, thinking in silence for a moment. "The version that I was told is mostly just for fun, but it'd be interesting to see how they match up."

Lightning nodded, and she began to clear her throat. "'The lord of skies, Bahamut...'"

* * *

When the great dragon spread his wings, the entire forest would fall silent, and all manner of beast fled from his path, but the mighty king spared little of his time on such small pursuits, instead choosing to prey upon his own kin.

The dragons lived as gladiators; the ultimate prize being the heart of a fallen competitor, which would burn on for years, even after it had been claimed.

And Bahamut was the mightiest... His very name struck fear into his fellow dragon, and nearly all of them fled from his challenges, while none of those who remained could strike him down.

In time, he managed to eliminate all of his competition, so he turned to hunting down those that feared him, until all were slain... All but one.

The pale giant, Bismark-

* * *

"Wait." Fang narrowed her eyes. "Doesn't Noel's family have a dog with that name?" She scratched at the back of her neck. "And... The Bismark I know isn't even a dragon. It was a _whale_."

Lightning shrugged. "Fables change, I guess." She moved her grip of the book, adjusting it over her lap. "Over time, I'd bet that people alter the details to fit what the story they want to tell."

Fang nodded. "The others, Bhakti and Carbuncle, those were their names, right?" She chuckled to herself. "Sounds like Anima named them after a bunch of myths."

Lightning tapped at the notebook beside her lap. "She probably did quite a bit of research on the local stories." She glanced at the larger tome. "Anyway... 'The pale giant, Bismark'-"

* * *

Mighty, rippled necks twisted together as sharpened teeth and claws clashed far above, tumbling and screeching throughout the sky, while they left nothing but ash and fire in their wake.

All throughout the night, not a single star could be seen though the thick, choking layer of smoke, which nearly blotted out the sky itself.

The titans thrashed endlessly against each other, sinking their claws deep beneath colossal scales and hides, until both had bled so greatly that the battle was forced to continue upon the ground, and from that point onward, a massive volcano rose up to circle where their melee had taken place.

* * *

Fang nodded to herself. "Volcano... It must be talking about Mt. Fairne."

* * *

Bismark's glowing hide deflated as he bled, and Bahamut quickly took the advantage; he tore away his opponent's limbs to leave him with only a tail, but as the victor threw his foe down from the mountainside, the pale giant uttered a foul, wicked curse in his wake.

Bahamut could only screech as his foe disappeared beneath the wild, crashing waves, but for all his deafening protests, his cries could not stop the infernal, burning curse that spread throughout his veins, so in a final effort to survive, he attempted to bury himself within the ashes.

* * *

Lightning leaned back from the page. "It says that he fell _apart_... Becoming the magma itself." She took a moment to read over the next few lines. "'But, Bismark took pity on him from within the sea, and he allowed Bahamut's spirit to live on as he once was, a great shadow, to be cast upon both mankind and the forgotten, extinct creatures called dragons.'"

Fang shrugged. "Well, the version I heard wasn't much like that." She glanced down at her feet. "Diabolos was just a trickster, a flying pest... I didn't hear many stories about dragons, though."

Lightning turned to the next page. "All that just for a metaphor about his brother..." She tapped at the top of the book. "Alright, now it gets back to Kujata."

* * *

My training with the spear initially proved successful, but looking back, after all these years... I realize that my skills were basic, at best.

It wasn't until my teens that I would draw first blood, and on accident, at that. I never meant to strike the bear's claws, or its side, but the unexpected presence had startled _both_ of us, and my brother, being more eager than I to prove himself, led us further, and we soon explored even _deeper_ into the woods on that fateful day...

* * *

The first child gripped the handle of his knife, staring down at the limping creature. "Try to aim for the limbs; I'd much rather bring it back for everyone to see."

The second child exhaled, and his eyes wavered as the bear cried out, falling down to its side. "We should put it out of its misery... Mora said never to abandon a wounded kill, no matter what!"

The first rolled his eyes. "We aren't abandoning it, we're _capturing_ it!"

The second hissed through his teeth. "Quiet!"

The first stilled as a sudden sensation overtook his arms and chest, a shaking, frigid anger. "Stay _here_, then."

The second reached out for his brother, but his fingers closed only upon air as the first jumped forward, sliding down the mossy hill with both his knife raised and bolas in hand.

With a strangled grunt, the bear twisted back, teeth born with a howl as it reared up to its hind legs, but the rope section of the bolas struck true against its dark, furry hide, and the beast fell, crashing back down to the earth below.

"You see?!" The first laughed, and he thrust down with his dagger, but when his blade had struck flesh, he cried out as a set of ragged claws grazed across his arm, leaving seared, bloody marks in their wake.

"_No..!_" The second would barely remember the effort it took to reach his brother's side, and by the time he regained his senses, he was staring down at his own spear, lodged deep, directly within the bear's ribcage.

"Brot-" The first choked, gazing down at the second set of curved, wicked claws that had pierced deep into his stomach. "_No-_"

"I'm here!" The second knelt down, tears blurring his vision. "Don't _speak_, I'm here..." He tore the paw away from the wound, ripping down the hide from his chest, before he began to bind the injury as best he could. "I'm here."

"The- The _claws_..." The first stared along the fallen, furry paw, laying limp against the ground. "They broke?"

The second followed his gaze, and he shook his head at the bloodied sight. "The elders will know a way to remove them, but right now, we _must_ get you back!"

"You killed it..." The first struggled in place as his brother tried to lift him. "No, we have to drag it back-"

"In _this_ condition?!" The second laughed, despite the burning tears upon his flushed, dirt-stained face. "You'll be lucky to make it back home alive!"

The first narrowed his eyes with a grunt, before he glanced over at his arm. "Wait..." After a long moment, his eyes widened. "What?"

The second looked down at the wound, and he nearly stumbled back in shock, but he could only stare in awe as the flesh slowly began to tremble, easing itself back upon the streaming flow of blood, until the edges of the wound had nearly touched each other.

"The bear..?" The first twisted his hand around, staring up at the injury. "There must be something... Something that it heals with!" He began to grin, before he looked down, attempting to shove his brother's hands away from the makeshift bandage. "It's like the _stories_, brother! A gift!"

The second moved back wordlessly, and his mouth fell open at the sight of each thin, receding puncture wound.

"It... It still _hurts_, though." The first leaned forward, poking around his side. "I definitely think the claws broke off."

The second let out a long, ragged sigh, before he finally spoke. "You're _insanely_ lucky right now." He leaned back against a nearby tree, attempting to calm his rapid breaths and heartbeat. "I thought... Thought it had _killed_ you, back there."

The first stuck out his tongue with a shivery laugh. "I'm too stubborn to die, like you say."

The second closed his eyes, trying to laugh as well. "I hope that never changes."

* * *

Lightning's eyelids began to droop, but as she reached to turn the page, Fang's hand moved out to cover her own.

"It's getting late, Light." Fang leaned in to rest her head against Lightning's shoulder. "We should get some sleep; it'll still be there for tomorrow night... And we can go hunt something in the morning, okay?"

Lightning nodded with a soft yawn, and she began to turn to the side, easing herself down against the ground. "Think we've passed over the border yet?"

Fang shook her head as she settled down beside her companion. "Nah, we'll probably run into a bunch of grumpy immigration patrols..." She yawned as well, wrapping her arms around Lightning's chest. "It's a good thing we're pretty bulletproof, eh?"

Lightning squeezed her eyes shut. "I'd rather evade them entirely."

Fang moved in to nuzzle at Lightning's neck. "You handled the scent pretty well, back there..."

Lightning snarled, deep in her throat. "_They_ weren't shooting at me."

Fang nodded. "Well, we should be able to outrun them in either case..." She yawned again, breathing slow. "Sleep well, okay?"

Lightning's tail twitched from between them. "You too."


	15. Chapter 15

Her eyelids twitch above blue and orange, still aching away from the aftermath of chemicals and smoke. She feels an odd sensation, a slightly tugging at her hair, and she nearly snarls, but then, a gentle hand touches her ear, soothing the rumble in her throat.

"Light..? You awake?"

She tries opening her mouth to speak, but she forgets that her throat is still bestial, and all that can escape is a series of choked, breathy clicks.

"It's okay, _shh_... You don't have to talk just yet. You look exhausted." The tugging continues, but the voice eases away her discomfort. "We've got you back, remember? We're all in the hotel, and you're safe."

Lightning opens her eyes, finally taking in the mellow, patterned walls, and the soft bedspread beside her.

"I... I really missed you."

Lightning's teeth separate with a cough, and she forces out her words. "Same-" She wheezes a bit, as her lungs are still tinged with smoke.

"Hey, you need to rest..." The voice finally moves, and Serah appears, holding a hairbrush in her hands. "We aren't in any immediate danger now, okay? The Cavalry offered to watch all of the doors for us."

Lightning can only stare up at the woman that she fleetingly remembers as her sister, but her eyes fall shut when the brush moves back down against her bristled, matted hair.

"Oh? You've got some... Blood in here, Light..."

Lightning snorts. "Only a little of it's mine."

Serah frowns, but she continues to run the brush through each spiky, tangled lock as gently as she can manage. "I still want to apologize... I _know that_ I couldn't have possibly known, but it was _still_ my fault that-"

Lightning hisses quietly. "Serah."

Serah stills at her sister's tone, gazing down at the smooth, white carapace that covers her entire front. "I know." She tries to ease the brush down through a particularly tangled patch, before she abandons it, only to pry away at each strand with her fingers. "I'm really just glad that we got you back..." Serah laughs, despite the moisture gathering in her eyes. "I made Fang promise, you know?"

Lightning curses the sudden, unbidden flutter within her chest, and she tenses up. "She's... Been a good friend."

After a moment, Serah scowls at the twig held between her fingers, before she tosses it away to pick up the brush once more. "Have you been rolling around in the grass, or what?"

Lightning opens her eyes. "Serah... We were-" She pauses, and her nostrils twitch, flaring slightly. "We were just animals, to them."

Serah's fingers grow pale around the handle of the brush. "It's _so_..." She closes her eyes, shaking her head back and forth. "So _wrong_."

Lightning shrugs, and she rolls over to rest on her back. "I can't remember much of anything before it all... Just you, and bits of a house-"

Serah's eyes flicker open, and she leans forward. "Which house?"

Lightning thinks in silence for a moment, swiveling her ears around. "It was small, with a single garage?"

Serah nods. "Bodhum."

Lightning's eyes widen slightly. "That sounds familiar."

Serah drops the brush down beside the pillow, before she reaches over to pat along the top of Lightning's head. "You sound like you're about to fall asleep."

A lingering thought crosses Lightning's mind, and she narrows her eyes. "I'm not already asleep?"

Serah's face shifts to confusion, before she shimmers, starting to fade. "I love you."

Lightning closes her eyes. "Love you too."

"_Touching_, but is this really what you want to dream about?"

When Lightning opens her eyes again, all that exists before her is a wide stretch of near-nothingness, as well as a single, solitary structure.

"Welcome back to lucidity."

Lightning leans back on her hind legs, gazing up at the gnarled, twisted tree. "What are you doing in there?" Her nostrils flare, and the next thing she knows, she's knee-deep in a thick, blackened liquid. "...I remember this."

One snorts. "You _should_."

Lightning blinks, gazing up at her duplicate, who stares down at her from within the darkness. "Why did you interrupt?" She glances to the side, mumbling under her breath. "I kinda liked that dream..."

"Because you were being coddled... Like a _pet_, and it's beneath you."

Lightning snaps back to attention, baring her teeth. "Are we _really_ going over all of this again?" Her fingers part, claws unfurled. "What about what happened? I already made peace with myself, we shouldn't be-"

One leaps down, and her face is nearly close enough to touch Lightning's own. "_Exactly_."

Lightning pauses, but when she tries to lean back, her muscles are locked in place. "You're still..?"

One lets her own eyes fall shut, before she reaches forward, phasing directly through Lightning's carapace. "I'm _trying_, but it's all so jumbled up and confusing that-" Her fingers brush against Lightning's heart, but try as she might, One cannot grasp it.

"Hey,_ hey!_" Lightning barks out snarl, and she takes hold of One's shoulders, pushing her away, only to slam her duplicate against the trunk of the tree. "This is getting _weird_, and we're talking in circles!" She stares deep into One's eyes, pinning her in place. "Just tell me what you want."

One's head tips back, and she exhales. "I don't _know_. You don't, either... I think we're too tied up together, you know?"

After a moment, Lightning eases back. "Then try to _show_ me."

One slumps to her knees, mired in the copper swamp. "I think you'll just have to realize it, first... I don't really think that I'm as much of my own person as we thought." She nods to herself. "But, I will _try_ to show you... I do have something that you might call 'memories'."

Lightning kneels down beside her. "Weren't you were born inside the lab..?"

One shrugs. "I can't explain it any more than you can... But if the _thing_ I am comes from Gran Pulse, _maybe_ it can..." She leans back, resting her head and neck against the tree. "Maybe what they _made_ me from remembers."

Lightning stiffens as the dream shifts, but her body is suddenly lost, and her viewpoint hovers just above a sleek, muscular creature.

"Yes, yes, this is the one..!" The cat leaps up to a high branch, and a forest blooms, spreading out beside it. "It was a predator, _apex!_" The jaguar stretches, gazing down at the world below. "It was fearless! _Perfect!_"

Lightning can only watch as a thin, colorful dart shoots up through the air, quickly piercing the furred, spotty hide of the beast.

"Until... They ruined it all."

Slow, booted footsteps make their way across the mossy earth, before they finally kneel beside the fallen, yet breathing creature. "We'll need a blood sample, and I'd like to get an immediate scraping of these horns-"

Lightning's perspective shifts, until she is far closer, staring down at the tiny, nearly invisible bumps that rest just beside the leopard's ears.

"There's even more..." The dream distorts, fluttering back and forth between each victim of the creature's teeth, but then it zooms in, revealing the tiny, wriggling organisms that dwell deep within its saliva. "Those that got away... It continued on, in them. Me, and the regeneratives."

A deer stands tall, sporting several extra points upon its towering antlers, which shift away to the bristly hide of a grizzled boar, revealing dual sets of tusks just beside its blooded, dribbling snout.

"Those you've bitten, though..." One paused. "It doesn't transfer from you, does it?"

Lightning finally speaks. "Well, try to put yourselves in the scientist's shoes... I don't think they'd want a weapon that could multiply."

One reappears, quietly nestled again within the branches of the bare, tangled tree. "Have... Have you thought of it yet?"

Lightning materializes as well, standing back beside the trunk. "No. Have you?"

One tucks her head away, and she curls up, nearly hidden from view. "No. Go back to your dream if you want."

For a split second, Lightning reaches out for her, but as she stares up at One's half-visible form, she is suddenly reminded of a sulking child. "Well... Just let me know if you need anything else."

One's ears tremble as Lightning walks away, and she curls up tighter within the tree.

* * *

A soft wind rolled over the grassy, wild plains as several small bird chirped from within the golden fields, filling the morning air with a warbling song.

After a long stretch of dozing, Fang woke to the gentle sound, so she eased out a long yawn, squeezing her eyes shut as she snuggled back against the warm, spiky hair beside her face. "Morning, Light."

Lightning only stirred, but her chest began to rumble as a set of gentle fingertips brushed over the base of her ears.

"Still like that, hmm?" Fang chuckled under her breath, finally opening her eyes to glimpse the morning sun. "It's always the ears with you... They twitch when you're on to something."

After a moment, Lightning grunted. "They twitch when I _hear_ something."

Fang shrugged. "Same difference." She kept quiet for a long while, simply massaging back and forth over Lightning's ears. "I _wonder_, though..."

Lightning tensed at Fang's tone, before her eyes shot open as a _staggering_ sensation shot up her spine, and she went rigid, trembling beneath whatever on earth Fang was _doing_ to her tail.

Fang started to laugh out loud, and she slowly began to sit up, gently rubbing her fingertips over the thinnest, most sensitive area of Lightning's tail, which sported a thin tuft of hair. "I should've tried this earlier..."

Lightning snarled, but she could only jitter beneath the fluttery, _maddening_ sensation. "That-!" She curled in on herself, attempting not to tremble any further. "That feels _really_ weird, Fang!"

Fang paused for a moment, before she tugged the end of Lightning's tail over to her lap. "Really? I didn't think it would be that sensitive."

Lightning narrowed her eyes, and she sat up as well, dragging her tail away. "Let me see yours, then."

Fang glanced over her shoulder. "Hmm. Only fair, I guess." She reached around to run her fingertips over the tip of her tail. "I guess it's like tickling; you can't really do it to yourself."

Slowly, Lightning moved over to brush her fingers across Fang's tail. "Anything?"

Fang shrugged. "Maybe it's just for you?"

Lightning leaned back. "It might need to be unexpected."

Fang nodded. "That could be it, yeah..." She began to yawn once more, stretching out her arms. "Little things like that... I just like to wonder what the hell was going on in their heads, you know?" Fang crossed her arms over her chest, before she cleared her throat to imitate an authoritative voice. "'Yes, so far we've been experimenting with some weird, freaky junk that we found under a log somewhere, but _now_ we've decided to jam this stuff into some random people without their consent.'"

Lightning tried not to laugh. "Well, the way they made it sound..." She paused, thinking back. "It was originally meant to enhance the body, or strengthen it, but they needed funding."

Fang leaned back against the slope, and she reached down for the empty fruit tin. "So they went the weapons route... Not sure if that was their best move, in the long run."

Lightning watched as Fang dropped the tin into her satchel.

"But, anyways..." Fang rose to her feet, slinging the bag over her shoulder and neck. "You hungry?"

Lightning reached for her own bag, and she soon began to follow after Fang, navigating her way up the grassy slope. "Smell anything?"

Fang inhaled, lowering to a crouch. "Not yet, but give me a minute." She felt the wind brush against her hair, gently ruffling it to the side. "Not much of a breeze today."

Lightning stood beside her in silence, before her ears began to twitch. "There's something over the next hill."

Fang inhaled again. "Can't smell it from here..."

Lightning lowered as well, walking forward on all-fours. "Let's take a look."

* * *

Noel's brow creased at the sound of footsteps pacing over the carpet, and he rolled his eyes after a moment. "_What?_"

"Nothing, just bored."

Noel shrugged. "Grab your laptop."

Yeul paused in place. "Can't we just turn on the-"

Noel shook his head. "You don't play shooters on a console, Yeul."

Yeul began to mutter under her breath. "Elitist."

Noel grinned. "And _proud_ of it... Go get your laptop."

Yeul let out a long sigh, but she exited the room without further comment, before she quickly returned with a large computer under her arm. "You'd better hope that your team doesn't suck, or I'm going to-"

Noel smirked as he cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey, Caius?!"

Yeul let out a quiet groan. "That's _cheating_, and you know it."

A third voice called out from the next room. "What?"

"Get _in_ here, we're going scrub hunting!"

* * *

Soft, scrabbling paws darted up and down over the grassy, solid earth, rapidly pattering in time with the gentle, fluttering heartbeat above.

Fang tensed, and she began to lower herself as flat as she could to the ground, but her eyes never left the bumbling rodent as it began to stuff its cheeks with loose grain. "Where the _heck_ is it finding all that?"

Lightning shrugged. "Maybe someone fed it? It's definitely wild, though-" Her eyes flew open when a wailing, strangled squeal pierced the silence, but she could only watch as the rodent became firmly locked within both a flurry of blood and wire.

Fang leaned back. "A snare..."

* * *

Noel's gaze tracked the rapid, flashing movement beside him, but his grip never wavered upon the mouse. "Hmm, where _could_ I be..?"

Yeul rolled her eyes. "Get _out_ here and stop being a-"

Caius cleared his throat. "_Maybe_ if the two of you stopped focusing on killing only each other, you could have half as high a score as mine."

Noel scoffed under his breath. "Yeah, big talk from the guy who's been spawn-camping the entire match."

Caius glared at Noel from across the table. "Well, maybe if these _idiots_ were aware that they could swap locations on a-"

Yeul slammed the table with her hand. "Hell _yes_."

Noel grit his teeth as he was suddenly forced back into action, dodging the spray of bullets at his flank. "Screw that..."

Yeul let out a hiss as her character was engulfed in a torrent of fire, but even as she ducked around a corner, the flames burned on. "Damn it, Noel!"

Noel chuckled. "Maybe you shouldn't run in headfirst with an ambush class."

Yeul narrowed her eyes at him. "Works _just_ fine in real life."

Caius suddenly smirked, and as Noel looked back at the screen, his character had fallen face first with only a bloody stump for a head.

"I think that you might find sniping a worthwhile pursuit." Caius leaned back in his chair. "Maybe it's not as honorable as I'd like, but it _is_ very effective."

Both Noel and Yeul shared a glance as their characters were both killed swiftly killed within the next few minutes. "Truce?"

Yeul nodded.

Caius raised an eyebrow at them both. "Teaming up for a common goal? I _should_ be impressed." He exhaled the moment he was able to spot them, preparing a hasty retreat. "But you forget that I know both of your tactics better than anyone."

Noel frowned when a blinding flash flared out across his screen, and he closed his eyes with a growl as his character was knifed in the stomach. "I'm starting to think that a free-for-all was a bad idea..."

Yeul opened up the sever interface. "We could always join a team game... Pick off the uncoordinated ones."

Noel began to smile. "Hey Caius, you remember that one time back at the river-base-"

Caius gave him a look. "Noel, I'd rather not think of actual war in the middle of a match."

Noel shrugged. "Alright, it just reminded me of those idiots, is all."

Caius glanced to the side. "I would hardly call _untrained_-"

Yeul cleared her throat. "Hey, let's not even go there right now!" She pointed at her screen. "I was promised scrub hunting, and you guys had better _deliver_."

Noel looked back at his screen. "Alright, find us a server."

Yeul smiled at her score. "Way ahead of you."

* * *

Fang poked at the coiled wire with the claw of her index finger. "Well, we must be closer to Yaschas than I thought..." Her nostrils twitched at the scent of blood, but she forced herself back up to her feet. "Let me know if you hear anything else; I'd rather not mess with someone else's lunch."

Lightning nodded. "I will." She swiveled her ears back and forth as they walked down along the dusty plain, and she kept completely silent for a while, until a lingering question had bubbled its way up to the surface of her thoughts. "Hey, Fang?"

Fang glanced over her shoulder. "Yup?"

"You've..." Lightning paused, mulling over her words. "You've heard of self-realization, right?"

Fang nodded. "It's something about fully understanding yourself, isn't it?"

"Well, there are several different interpretations, but yeah, pretty much..." Lightning's ears lowered slightly. "But what if... You'd been split beforehand?" She glanced up at the clouds, lost in her own mind for a moment. "One has been getting pretty restless lately, and I'm not entirely sure why."

Fang turned in place, examining the look in Lightning's eyes. "Well, I've never been good at analyzing it, myself." She shrugged. "Most of the time Five just hangs out in there, and she doesn't seem to care much about anything."

Lightning shook her head. "One cares... Maybe reluctantly, but she cares."

"Is that what you were researching?" Fang asked, "Self-realization?"

After a moment, Lightning nodded. "I... _We_ had a dream." She began to walk forward again, staring down at her feet. "It's a little hard to describe, but for the first time in my life, I felt completely whole."

Fang followed after her. "Well... Maybe One wants to feel that, too?"

Lightning let out a sigh. "But she was _there_."

Fang shrugged. "I dunno, then."

Lightning attempted to ignore the restless sensation that flickered within her mind, instead focusing on the distant, subtle sound of hooves. "Hear that?"

Fang shook her head.

Lightning lifted her arm to point at a nearby hill. "I think we might have finally found lunch."

Fang's ears perked up, and she lowered to a crouch. "Small enough to run down?"

Lightning nodded.

Without another word, Fang began to creep forward, and after a moment, she had disappeared into the thick, golden grass.

Lightning followed after the distant sound as well, but as she neared the top of the hill, a sharp wail and the distinct snap of bone made her pause, until Fang reappeared with a tiny gazelle clamped tight between her teeth.

"That was quick..." Lightning caught sight of a fleeing herd out of the corner of her eye, and she began to sit down atop the hill. "You'd better be willing to share."

Fang released the lifeless creature, catching it in her hands as she looked to the side. "When have I not? I've always-" She suddenly failed forward when an intense, jolting sensation flew up her spine, and Fang nearly dropped the gazelle as she landed flat on her stomach.

With a quiet chuckle, Lightning moved the dark tuft of hair between her fingertips, keeping a firm hold of Fang's tail. "So it _does_ work..."

Fang shivered in place, and she attempted to grab her tail back, but Lightning was far too intent on teasing over the thin line of hair that ran all the way up to the base of Fang's tail.

"_Light_..." Fang finally wriggled away with a shudder, tugging the end of her tail close to her chest. "You're damn _right_, that_ is _really weird..."

Fang swore that a flicker of amusement crossed Lightning's eyes, but it disappeared just as fast. "We should get moving soon;" Lightning said, "I'd rather pass the border sooner than later."

Fang leaned forward with the gazelle in hand, and without much effort, she tore away one of its back legs. "You really don't wanna check out the market?"

Lightning snapped off the other leg for herself. "I'm just happy that we made it out of Paddra without incident." She sank her teeth into the muscle, staring directly into Fang's eyes as she tore it back. "I'd rather we not push our luck."

Fang nodded, biting down with a quiet sigh. "Yeah, but I can't help but wonder if we could _do_ something for it..." She took another bite, but she kept silent until the leg had been stripped it down to the bone. "For _both_ of us, you know? As much as I hate to admit it, I get pretty bitey if I haven't hunted in a while."

"Well, I guess it would depend on what causes it in the first place." Lightning snapped down again, tearing back a section of flesh. "I've eaten all kinds of cooked meat since then, and felt _nothing_ quite like this."

Fang hummed in thought. "It's gotta be the blood, or the chase." She shook her head after a moment. "No, I don't get the same reaction when I chase other stuff."

Lightning nodded. "The kill, then?"

"I think it's the blood..." Fang leaned back for a moment, staring up at the sky. "That _first_ bite... It's like you're floating, isn't it?"

Lightning snorted under her breath. "You actually _sound_ high."

Fang scoffed with a quiet chuckle. "Well, what if we could somehow replicate that feeling?" She leaned forward again, tearing off a front leg. "Blood has quite a bit of iron in it, so maybe it's got something to do with that?"

Lightning glanced at her satchel. "What if..." She paused to think for a moment. "I doubt that Anima has any information in there about our specific urges, but _what if_ there's some way to recreate the way that blood affects our physical and mental state?"

Fang shrugged. "We'll have to ask her once we get back." She exhaled, wiping the blood from her chin. "Assuming she hasn't disappeared again..."

Lightning shook her head. "If there's one thing I know about Anima, it's that even if you can't see it right away, she's got her reasons for everything."

Fang laughed under her breath. "I wouldn't be so sure..."

Lightning only shrugged, before she bit down into the severed limb once more.

* * *

Slender claws twitched back and forth, brushing dangerously close to pale, vulnerable skin, but they never moved too far, keeping just a hairsbreadth away from the soft, human flesh.

"Species twenty-six has shown a willingness to... Take _control_ for the first time since the date of injection..." Anima's eyes widened at the dark, curling claws, while her left arm began to waver with the recording device still clutched between her fingers. "This is simply... Unheard of."

A twisting, formless shape appeared within the edge of her vision, but when Anima turned to look at it, she could see nothing but the room around her. "Are you... Listening?" She switched the recorder off, before she stood up, holding her arms just beside her chest. "After the way Caius lost his hold... Lightning once said that her carapace was able to communicate with her, are you capable of the same?"

She received only silence.

Anima frowned, and she began to sit down once more, but a slow, burning pain raced out within her hand, and she hissed as her dark, mottled carapace spread out, reaching up and over her skin. "We should be _civil_ about this..."

The shell began to slow, pausing just beside her elbow.

Anima exhaled. "Thank you." She leaned back in the chair, examining each of her claws. "You are one _mysterious_ little creature..." Anima tapped at her hardened knuckles with her other hand. "Jihl thought I was mad when I showed you to her, did you know that?" She brushed the tip of her finger over each claw. "But I suppose that such an idea went to _her_ to head, in the end."

With a sigh, Anima rose back to her feet. "I suppose that we need answers, now... Answers that I do not have." She reached for her phone, dialing each number with her index claw. "Yes, Eden Correctional Facility? Good, I need to schedule a private visitation period as soon as possible."


	16. Chapter 16

The wild, golden grasses rustled back and forth beneath the wind, briefly catching the scattered rays of sunset within them as they moved. Several crickets jumped between each waving strand, in the midst of starting up their nightly chorus with an array of chirps and creaks.

"Hm." Lightning paused to listen, lowering her head. "There's something nearby." With her eyes squeezed shut, she swiveled her ears to the side, taking in every possible bit of noise she could hear. "It's almost like... An engine?"

Fang rose up to her hind legs, squinting out over the grassy hills. "You sure? I don't see any-" She paused to peer at the horizon. "Scratch that, there's a road up there."

Lightning opened her eyes, and she moved to stand on her back feet, her claws drifting at her sides. "We must be getting close." She hissed softly as her carapace began to part, crumbling away by her fingertips. "We got away with having our horns out in Paddra, so let's stick with that."

Fang turned around, and she reached for Lightning's hand as it began to distort and twist, reforming back into slim, human digits. "Wait... Shouldn't we get within sight of the city, first?"

Lightning offered Fang a gentle smile as soon as her mouth had taken shape. "It's more than just an engine, Fang... Take a listen."

Fang could only watch as Lightning's sari slumped in place, fluttering back down against her body as she tugged it back along her shoulders and chest.

"You hear it already?" Fang's ears twitched side to side, but she could only make out the rumbling of the distant road.

With a nod, Lightning reached up to adjust the satchel strap beside her neck, before she glanced down at the crumbling, fallen carapace beside her feet. "It's been getting quicker, you know."

Fang slowly released Lightning's hand to stare at her own. "Yeah, not so much of a hassle anymore..." Her fingers slowly began to creak and bend, making way for the soft, human skin to grow beneath. "I've been getting my claws out with just a _tiny_ bit of blood, lately."

Lightning lifted her hand to rest against her forehead, gazing out at the wide, hilly expanse. "I can _barely_ make it out, but there's definitely some sort of crowd up ahead." She began to walk forward, but she winced as the heel of her foot hit down against a particularly sharp rock.

Fang winced at the sight. "That's _gotta_ hurt..."

Lightning snarled under her breath, before she moved to kick the stone away with the side of her toes. "It's fine, the-" She suddenly toppled forward, barely bracing her fall with her hands and shoulder as she crashed against the earth.

"Light!?" Fang raced over to Lightning's side, having only just finished shifting into her own human form. "Oh... _Hell_." She flopped down with a grimace, tilting her head to the side. "That's a snare, love... Just give me a sec."

Lightning bit back a string of frenzied, bitter curses, but when she finally opened her mouth to speak, she could only shudder in place as the muscles within her ankle flared with a deep, jolting pain.

"Hey, hey... Stay still, now." Fang began to maneuver her fingers on the wooden stake beside the wire, gently easing it out from the earth. "You're starting to swell up, but I'll have it out in a moment."

With a hiss, Lightning flipped herself over to her side, and she reached up to wipe the dust away from her face and hair. "Not the most _graceful_ landing I've ever had..."

Fang nearly laughed. "Yeah, but there you go... I'm almost done." She exhaled when the stake came loose, before she moved to pull the coiled wire away from Lightning's skin. "Nasty little sucker, isn't it?"

After a moment, Lightning eased herself up into a sitting position, but she winced upon sight of her ankle, which had already swollen out into a bright, weeping red. "Yeah... Let's just give the regeneratives a moment." She exhaled when the cut began to curl up, folding in on itself, but Lightning began to frown as the swelling remained the same. "So..?" She closed her eyes. _What's the deal?_

One's voice sounded out within her ears, envisioned alongside a derisive sigh. _Have you been paying __any__ attention at all? Take this up with the regeneratives, not __me__._

Lightning grit her teeth._ Can't you do __something__? I'm not going to be able to walk very far if this is still sprained..._ Her eyes flew open as something suddenly hauled her up from the ground, and Lightning nearly gasped as Fang began to carry her off in her arms.

_Looks like you guys already have it covered. _One chuckled to herself. _But, tell you what... I'll try to redirect the regeneratives into the damaged area, but no promises on if it'll work or not._

Lightning narrowed her eyes at Fang. "Thanks."

Fang grinned. "No problem! Hey, it's not like it's every day that I get to carry you around..." She began to stride up to the top of a nearby hill, tightening her grip beneath Lightning's knees. "The last time was back at Serah's, when you fell asleep on the porch."

Lightning attempted to ignore the sudden flush in her cheeks. "I don't remember _that_."

"Course not... You were asleep." Fang started to hum under her breath, savoring the warmth against her chest. "Your ears twitch, even then."

Lightning exhaled with a soft, quiet snort. "I must've been dreaming..." She stilled as the horizon came into sight, but Fang only stopped once they had reached the very highest point of the hill.

"I... I trust those ears of yours, Light." Fang's lips parted with an low, yet unrestrained laugh, while her dark, flowing hair streamed out behind her, pushed on by the wind. "They've never led us wrong..."

For a brief moment, Lightning felt the urge to correct Fang's statement, but as her gaze caught on the brilliant, sprawling city below, her breath stilled against her tongue. "This is... Yaschas?"

Fang hummed once more, snuggling close. "Mm-hm." She took another step, walking down towards the vibrant, glittering lights. "Are you sure you don't wanna see the market down there? We can probably find something to ice that ankle, you know..."

After a moment of thought, Lightning nodded. "Do you think we can trade for some sandals, here?" She pulled out a small, curved horn from within her satchel. "The terrain's only going to get even rougher the further north we go."

Fang carefully began to maneuver her way down the steep, rocky hill. "Yeah, there's bound to be someone selling shoes down here." She looked up to smile at the darkening sky. "They actually accept certain types of currency, here... But the fun _really_ starts at night, you know."

"And why's that?" Lightning looked down to test the muscles in her ankle, but she winced when they flared up in protest.

Fang chuckled under her breath. "There's a city up in Cocoon, you've probably heard of it... Yusnaan." She grinned at the colorful strings of lanterns fluttering back and forth, dangling above the market streets within the breeze. "They have parties every night, with tons of free food... Let's just say that Yaschas is _our_ version of that."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "And gambling, can't forget that..."

Fang grinned. "Hey, maybe I can win us something more than shoes!" She suddenly twirled them both in place once they had reached the bottom of the hill, gazing up at the swirling colors of the city. "Luck is a big thing in Gran Pulsian culture, and the Lady's _always_ been on my side..."

Lightning nearly hissed at the sudden swarm of butterflies within her chest, and she pressed herself up tight against Fang's figure while she sauntered beneath the thousands upon thousands of glittering lights. "The Lady?"

Fang nodded. "Lady _Luck_, another one of those myths." As she walked out into a small, milling crowd, Fang couldn't help but inhale, savoring the nearby scent of sweet, roasted food. "Smell that, Light?"

Lightning had already attempted to bury herself into Fang's neck, and she only hissed in response.

"Oi, don't be a fuss..." Fang glanced around at the stares they received, but she continued on without pause. "And hey, those horns are _sharp_, missy!"

Lightning adjusted her head. "Sorry, but this is _embarrassing_."

Fang shrugged. "Why? Because you accidentally stepped into a snare and got hurt?" She let out a long sigh. "Wasn't your fault... Or is it the fact that I'm _carrying_ you? Like a good-" Fang paused, and she began to smile softly to herself. "I know we don't really... Have an official- _'Thing',_ for ourselves... But I'm starting to think that people from Cocoon have something against public displays of affection."

Lightning blinked once, staring up at the lanterns from her place beside Fang's neck. "It's just... Me." She lowered her gaze. "I've never really been the most social of butterflies."

Fang winked down at her. "Rather hide in your cocoon, eh?" She winced at the sudden elbow lodged deep against her ribs.

"Nice try..." Lightning bit back a laugh, slowly relaxing against Fang's chest. "But _moths_ make cocoons, not butterflies."

"Eh, similar enough..." Fang's gaze caught on a small, round pavilion, and she paused, turning to face it. "Looks like a directory... They probably have medical supplies in there."

Lightning glanced over at the swelling on her ankle. "Let's take a look, then."

Fang had already started for the door. "Hey, anyone home?" She pushed through a veil of beads with her shoulder and head, before she came face to face with an empty room. "Need a little help over here..."

After a moment, another veil parted to reveal a young woman. "Oh? Oh dear, put her down on the bench!" The woman rushed off into another room, before she returned with an opaque, plastic bag. "Did you trip on something?"

Lightning shook her head with a quiet, lingering hiss, but she relaxed as the chill began to slowly take affect. "Got hit by a snare, nothing serious."

The woman paled, and she moved to adjust the container of gel against Lightning's ankle. "A snare?! As far as I know, those should only be out in the _tallest_ areas of grass..."

Fang smirked to herself. "About that..." She chuckled when the woman finally noticed their horns. "We're a bit more 'adventurous' than most."

Lightning nearly jumped at the voice within her mind, echoing quietly throughout her thoughts.

_Stupid little squirts... They seem to work by stitching the broken cells back together and creating new ones, but this sprain is throwing them all through a loop._

Fang held out her hand for the woman beside them. "Oerba Yun Fang."

Lightning began to tune out the conversation around her, instead focusing on her thoughts. _Is there any way to... 'Herd' them where they need to be?_

One envisioned a shrug. _Beats me... I managed to get a bunch of them inside of the injury itself, but they're all just bumbling around in there._

"Light? You okay?"

With a blink, Lightning snapped back to the present. "Sorry." She glanced at the woman sitting near her ankle. "Didn't catch your name..." Lightning held out her hand. "Lightning."

The woman accepted the gesture with a smile. "Blythe."

Lightning raised a single eyebrow. "No 'Yaschas' before that?"

Blythe nodded. "I'm not Pulsian by blood, but my cousins are." She gestured at the pavilion around them. "This is all I have left of my home in Luxerion, but I've found Yaschas to be..." Blythe grinned. "More than welcoming."

Fang tipped her head to the side. "From Cocoon, huh? We're actually headed back up there."

Lightning tested her heel with a wince. "If I can walk back, that is..."

Fang knelt down to examine the swollen area. "You know, I've actually got an idea." She smirked at Blythe. "Don't freak out, okay?" Fang turned back to Lightning. "Shift it out, and then back again."

Lightning's eyes went wide. "I didn't even _think_..." She closed her eyes to concentrate on her foot, and after a moment, a set of sleek, curved claws burst out from within her toes, drawing along layers of carapace with them.

"Oh, dear _lord_..." Blythe covered her mouth with her hands. "Did I hit my head or something?"

"Nah..." Fang began to grin, watching as Lightning's human skin grew back without even a hint of redness. "You just stumbled right into the freak-show, no biggie."

Lightning let out a long sigh, and she began to slowly test her ankle against the wicker floor. "That was one of your better ideas, Fang." She rose to her feet, bracing her arm against the wall. "And thank you for the ice, Blythe... Even if the problem solved itself."

Blythe stood up as well. "Of course!" She glanced between them with a smile. "Are the two of you going to spend any time in Yaschas? It's actually my _job_ to advise newcomers, you know."

Fang met Lightning's gaze. "Think we can afford a little while?"

Lightning shrugged. "Given the current state of... Well, you know." She turned to nod at Blythe. "Is there anything we can do to apologize for just barging in?"

Blythe waved her off. "It was no problem, and I'm here to help out." She slowly moved over to a nearby cabinet, rummaging through its contents. "Although, you _could_ bring this to my dad... He has a habit of 'forgetting' this medication before work."

Fang leaned over to examine the slim, blue vial. "Yeah, we can bring it to him for you. What's he look like?"

Blythe smiled. "_Big_, rough and tumble, a soft spot for kittens..." She motioned at the door. "You can't miss him; he works the spit down at the festival grounds."

Lightning gently closed her fingers around the slim bottle, and she moved to tuck it within her satchel. "We'll make sure he gets it."

Blythe nodded as she sauntered over to the door. "I'll give you directions to where he works; they _should_ be starting up dinner by now..." She pushed through the colorful veil, merely blinking as a bright, deafening array of fireworks suddenly exploded up ahead. "Wow, they're going early with this one."

Lightning's eyes widened at the searing, trickling streaks of color and fire. "That's... Pretty impressive."

Blythe raised her hand up to point above a large, raucous crowd. "The field's right over there, just take a right at the end of the market." As she turned back to face the pavilion, Blythe smirked at the duo from over her shoulder. "When you find my dad... _Don't_ let him pay you back for the medicine."

Fang quirked an eyebrow at her. "Why's that?"

Blythe only chuckled as she passed back beneath the veil, moving just out of sight.

After a moment, Lightning began to walk forward. "We should get moving before this place gets any wilder..." She paused as another round of fireworks sounded off in the distance. "Fang, you coming?"

Fang strode up to her side with a nod. "Just remembering this place..." She smiled up at the bright, crackling colors. "Wish you could've seen it back in the winter; _everyone's_ drunk off their ass, dancing in the streets!"

Lightning winced at the reverberating explosion, watching the fireworks burst above as she maneuvered her way through the crowd. "We're almost directly on the equator, though... I can't imagine you would see much snowfall around here."

Fang nodded, ducking beneath a nearby display of colorful fabric. "Yeah, but that sure doesn't stop them from celebrating." She glanced around at the market stalls, listening to the vendors as they shouted and haggled, even from afar. "All of this goes on until the sun comes up, so we don't really have to go looking for your shoes right away."

Lightning's nostrils began to twitch at a sudden, alluring scent. "I think we're getting close."

Fang inhaled as well, and she nearly sighed in contentment. "Damn good barbeque..."

Lightning nudged at Fang's side with her elbow. "Just don't clear them out, okay?" She glanced at the street ahead, which sported an rounded, cobblestone plaza. "I mean, I know how much we can go through in a single night, but I doubt that it's anywhere near what the average human can normally eat."

Fang shrugged. "We're not shifted, so it'll be fine." She grinned as the smell intensified, drawing her further and further down the streets. "Doubt that they'd really mind, though... Most of what happens at dinner is used for breakfast, too, or it gets sold as re-heated meals the next day."

Lightning smiled at that. "Glad it doesn't go to waste..." She slowed as the street opened up on one side, revealing a wide, grassy field. "Looks like we're here."

Fang strode forward without pause. "Yup, let's get moving before the good stuff gets taken!"

"Fang, hold on-" Lightning moved to catch up with her, but Fang had already disappeared into the crowd after just a mere moment, and Lightning began to scowl to herself with a mumble. "And Serah calls _me_ impulsive..."

"Oi, Light! Where'd you run off to?"

Lightning rolled her eyes as she ducked down within the masses. "On my _way_, no thanks to you..." She blinked as the crowd suddenly parted, revealing a long line of crackling, shallow fire-pits.

Fang grinned at her. "C'mere!" She slung her arm over Lightning's shoulder as she approached. "Let's see... Blythe said rough and tumble-"

A sudden shout rang out over the din, and they both looked up to see a huge, burly man set down an enormous spit-hog above a roaring fire.

"Looks like we found our man..." Lightning walked over to the fire-pit, taking the vial out from her satchel. "Excuse me, do you have a daughter named Blythe?"

The hulking man turned to face her, sporting a ridiculously large mustache on his upper lip. "Eh? What's this about?"

Lightning held up the bottle. "She helped us out with an injury, and we were asked to give you this."

The man kept completely still for a moment, before he began to quake with laughter. "Oh, missy! She's so damn _fussy_ about these pills..." The man accepted the vial with a grin. "Well, old kitty here _does_ get grumpy without his medicine..."

Fang narrowed her eyes. "It's not for you?"

The man waved her off. "Course not! I _swear_, sometimes that girl cares more about the damn _cat_ than her old man..." He cupped his hands over a shout. "Kitty! C'mere!"

After a moment, a large, grizzled feline ambled forth, sporting a distinct snaggletooth.

"Kitty, kitty kitty..." The man opened the vial, before he tossed a small tablet at the cat's feet, to which it promptly turned up its nose at. "Oi! Blythe will have my _hide_ if you don't take the blasted thing!"

Lightning bit back a smile, lowering to sit on a nearby bench. "My sister... She always liked to take care of the strays; she'd feed them our leftovers, or some tuna when we could afford it."

The man gently shoved the pill down into the cat's mouth. "Oh? It's good to see people lookin' out for the wee kitties." He suddenly lifted the cat up to his shoulders, before he walked back over to the fire, turning the spit in place with his massive hands. "Well, you have my thanks for the delivery, miss... But I only have _one_ thing to reward a good deed with, besides dinner."

Lightning was about to decline, but before she could even blink, a small, fuzzy _something_ was dropped down into her lap. "What..?"

Fang had to stifle a laugh.

As Lightning looked at her lap, her eyes narrowed upon sight of the tiny, blinking creature that sat upon her sari. "Wait, what? _Where_ did you even-"

The man reached into his pocket to reveal another small, furry creature. "I take in the strays, get 'em fixed up..." He chuckled to himself. "In more ways than one... But they often bring along cargo." The man beamed at Lightning. "You don't really have to take him with you, kiddo; I just wanted to see the look on your face!"

Slowly, Lightning began to ease her hands over towards the tiny, white kitten. "Well..." As she finally brushed her fingertips against its cheeks, it leaned into the touch with a quiet purr. "Him? So it's male..." She ran her fingers behind the kitten's soft, furry ears. "My parents only ever kept dogs."

After a muffled bout of laughter, Fang flopped down beside Lightning with a grin. "He looks like a friendly little guy..." She reached over to trail her fingers over the back of the kitten's ears, slowly petting down to his spine. "Well, what do you say, Light?" Fang leaned in, smirking all the while. "Does grumpy want another traveling companion?"

With a quiet sigh, Lightning narrowed her eyes at Fang. "Grumpy happens to _like_ living without extra mouths to feed-" The words died in her throat as she looked back into the kitten's wide, olive eyes. "_Stupid_, adorable kitty..."

The tiny creature moved up to curl against her hands, brushing his whiskers over her skin.

"How the hell do I say no to _that?_" Lightning's voice was barely audible over the din of the crowd, not to mention fireworks above. "Well, is he old enough for solid food?"

The burly man looked back at her with a nod. "He's already been eating meat off the bone, so long as you tear it up for him, first..." He walked over to pat at the kitten's head. "His momma didn't stick around for very long, but if you'll _promise_ to take good care of him... I'd be willing to see him go."

Lightning took one _long_ look at the way the kitten had latched itself around her hands, before she let out a slow, withering sigh. "Funny how things can just get dropped on your lap..." She moved to hold up the purring creature, drawing it close to her chest. "I'll make sure that he stays safe."

Out of the corner of her eye, Lightning caught the way that Fang's lips spread out into a grin, her skin flushing slightly beneath the glowing lights.

"You should take him out for a walk then, missy." The man patted at the ruffled cat atop his shoulders. "See if he likes those _horns_ of yours, and you should be back in time for dinner before you know it!"

Lightning took the kitten into her right hand, and she couldn't help but smile when he readily hopped up to her shoulders, batting at her hair. "I think I'll do just that... Let's see if he gets on my _nerves_ before I seal the deal."

The man reached over to clap Lightning's free shoulder with a grin. "Good on ya... Now scram!" He turned back to the fire. "Got lots of cooking to do, and no time to dawdle!"

Fang rose to her feet, slowly shaking her head. "I didn't really think you'd agree to bring him along..." She held out her arm to help Lightning stand up. "You don't think that this will cause any-" Fang paused, lowering her voice. "_Problems?_"

Lightning winced as the kitten nipped along the edge of her ear. "He doesn't... Act like prey?" She began to walk forward, keeping one eye on the white ball of fluff from the corner of her gaze. "Usually you get a sense for something, you know? I mean, we were all fine with the dogs, back in Cocoon."

Fang walked alongside her with a nod. "Makes sense, plus they probably... _Did_ something, with us." She glanced at Lightning's back. "When you shift, I get itchy around your blood, but it's nothing I can't handle."

Lightning nodded, walking in silence for a while. "He's... An adventurous little guy, isn't he?" She looked up as the kitten leapt over to the top of her head, latching onto her horns. "He doesn't seem bothered by them."

Fang let out a laugh. "He'll probably be using those as a _scratching_ post before long..." She paused, staring up at the latest firework display. "_If_ you decide to keep him, that is."

Lightning reached up to pull the kitten away from her horns. "Well..." She opened her satchel, gently placing the creature inside. "Can you keep still in there, kitty?"

The kitten mewled up at her, slowly nestling in beside the pair of books.

Lightning closed the bag, but she kept open enough of a gap for him to breathe. "Let's see if he'll behave for a while." She looked over at the distant market stalls. "Okay, shoes?"

Fang nodded. "Still got those horns from earlier?"

Lightning nodded back at her as they walked out from the field. "I mean, even just some cheap sandals would be really nice..." She waited for Fang to catch up to her. "If we're going to make any more stops on this 'road trip', I don't want to have to walk across something nasty."

"Let's see, then..." Fang looked up to scan the market stalls, and her feet began to drift in a certain direction. "Looks like they have clothes over here."

Lightning followed after Fang, gazing around at the various colorful goods. "They have stuff from Cocoon, huh..?" She shook her head at what looked like a cheap, tourist-trap sweatshirt. "It's not exactly what I'd expect from an old fashioned market."

Fang shrugged. "Well, a lot of the native stuff you'll see here is _just_ as junky as that..." She picked up a scarf from one of the stalls, easing her fingertips over the weave. "You couldn't really tell that this is crap if you hadn't grown up in Gran Pulse."

Lightning attempted to ignore the looks that they received from the vendors. "See any shoes?"

Fang turned around, placing the scarf back onto the counter. "Hmm..." Her gaze caught on a certain stall. "Oh... Hey, Light?"

Lightning tilted her head at Fang's tone. "Yeah?"

Fang fought back a grin. "Close your eyes for a moment..." She moved to stand behind Lightning, taking hold of her shoulders. "No peeking, you hear?"

Lightning sighed, but she closed her eyes. "This had better be good..."

Fang began to steer them both forward, navigating through the crowds. "Don't worry." She eventually drew to a stop, but she turned Lightning around to face where they had started. "Stay still, and keep them _shut_."

With a huff, Lightning prepared to get comfortable for a while, but she tensed when something soft brushed up against her neck, gently wrapping over itself.

"Okay, open."

Lightning opened her eyes to see a delicate, red scarf upon her neck, beautifully complimenting both the browns and reds of her sari. "It's... Beautiful, Fang, but I don't think that we have-"

Fang whispered, breathing against her ear. "I want to get it for you."

Lightning closed her eyes again.

Fang took in Lightning's scent, barely brushing over her cheek. "We've been through _hell_, Lightning... I want to live indulgently once in a while, you know?"

Slowly, Lightning opened her eyes again, and she turned to meet Fang's gaze. "If we don't have enough; _promise_ me that you won't do anything I wouldn't approve of."

Fang nodded. "Promise." She smiled as Lightning placed both of the gazelle horns into her hands. "I'll see what we can get for these... Be right back."

As Fang walked over to the merchant's seat, Lightning reached up to trace her fingertips over the dark, scarlet fabric. "What do you think, little one?" She hummed down at the fuzzy white face that had peeked out from her satchel. "Fang's too nice for her own good, huh?"

The kitten closed its eyes for a moment, before it let out a tiny mewl.

Lightning nodded. "I think so, too."


	17. Chapter 17

A single firework screeched up ahead, twirling out and across the sky until it burst with a crackling pop, revealing both a wide array of colors and designs.

"I wonder just how many they'll launch..." With a silent sigh, Lightning walked over to the edge of the booth, content to merely watch as Fang conversed with the vendor in their native tongue. The pair of them smiled as they talked, and after a moment, the merchant reached out to clap the side of Fang's arm, before he gave her a handful of small, octagonal chips in exchange for the pair of horns.

Lightning blinked as Fang walked up to her, holding out the tokens for her to see. "Are those..?"

"It's their own brand of currency, yeah." Fang quickly bowed back at the vendor, before she turned to guide Lightning away into the crowd. "They have a few exchange stations where you can cash it back in for worldly currency or traveling goods."

Lightning reached up to twist part of the dark red fabric between her fingers, before a strange, yet somehow familiar sensation crossed her mind, and before she knew it, she had leaned up to press a soft, chaste kiss against the side of Fang's cheek. "Thank you."

Fang stood in silence for a moment, before she began to smile, slowly closing her eyes. "You're welcome. It matched your sari so well; I just had to splurge, you know?" She moved to wrap Lightning in a quick hug. "You like it, right?"

Lightning nodded. "I _do_, I just hope it stays intact during the trip." She moved to adjust the scarf around, letting one end hang down over the back of her shoulders. "I can always put it away while we're traveling, though."

Fang nodded, and she leaned back to gaze at the smoke and colors in the night sky, before another spray of fireworks rang off overhead. "Hey, let's try and find those shoes, but I'd really like to grab some food before all the good stuff gets nabbed." She turned to the side, slowly making her way down the aisle of stalls. "There's lots of little accessories around, but I'm not seeing a whole lot of footwear."

Lightning moved to follow after her, scanning both the various counters and racks that lined the winding street. "Well, if worst comes to worst, we can always make do without them." She glanced around for a moment, before she paused to examine a certain stall. "Fang, come look at these."

Fang walked over to stand beside her, and she knelt down to pick up a flat, woven sandal. "Bingo." She set the shoe down beside her foot to judge the size. "I'd that bet these would fit just fine, but let's see if they'd mind us trying them on."

Lightning reached over to pick up a second pair. "They do look pretty sturdy." She began to test the sole against her knuckles, and she almost smiled when it braced the impact with ease.

Fang walked up to the merchant beside the stall to speak in Old Pulsian once more, and she grinned when the woman responded in kind.

Lightning leaned back to stare up at the long, woven wires that dangled just above the market square, sporting row upon row of colorful, hanging lanterns, and she inhaled, breathing in the scent of wood-smoke and food.

"If it weren't for going back home..." Lightning reached down to rub her fingers over the soft, furry ears within her satchel. "You'd think with all the noise, that I wouldn't really like it here..."

The kitten poked his nose out of the bag, nuzzling at her palm.

Lightning blinked up at the sky. "I've never had a cat before, but you seem like a nice one." She moved to sit down on a nearby bench, watching as Fang continued with her conversation without pause. "What do you think, little guy?" Lightning picked up the cat from her satchel, and she held him just above her lap. "You're going to need a name, won't you?"

The kitten closed his eyes, purring within her hands.

Lightning set him down on her lap. "Fang's been telling me a lot of stories, you know..." She moved to run her fingers over the kitten's ears. "But we have more than a few of our own, back in Cocoon." Lightning's gaze went distant, barely focusing on the clamor that surrounded her. "I used to read all about how the constellations were named, and the stories behind them." She smiled as the kitten nudged at her fingers, gently nibbling on the nail of her thumb. "There's one called Orion, or in the stories... Odin."

The kitten purred against her palm.

"Well... You look a little scrawny for an 'Odin'." Lightning hummed under her breath. "Maybe you'll grow into it, though?"

The tiny creature merely swatted at the fireworks above, soon flopping over to rest on his back.

"Silly little thing..." Lightning reached over to gently scratch the area beneath the kitten's chin. "Maybe I'll loan you over to Serah; you can try to keep _her_ out of trouble." She leaned back, gazing up at the soft, waving lanterns. "But somehow, I don't think she really needs it now."

"Hey, Light!" Fang walked over with a grin. "Sorry, got distracted; we can try on as many as we need to." She moved to sit down beside Lightning, smiling at the kitten on her lap. "Taking a shine to him, huh?"

Lightning held up the little creature in her hands. "I think once you get to the point of choosing names... It's a little too late to turn back." She set the kitten down at her side, before she reached over to slip on one of the sandals. "Hey, how much do you know about folklore from Cocoon?"

Fang tugged on her own pair of sandals. "Not much, just that there happened to be a whole lot of reform in the early ages, so they've probably got a bunch of their own lore and fables."

Lightning nodded. "Odin." She nudged at the kitten's side with her free hand. "He was a knight, one of the best."

Fang laughed under her breath, gazing down at the cat. "That's gonna be his name, then?" She lowered her voice. "'Beware my tiny claws of chivalry?'"

Lightning rolled her eyes. "Or: 'my mighty pounce of mouse-catching'..." She rose to her feet, testing the sandals against the ground below. "These feel pretty nice."

Fang stood up as well, and she began to walk in a slow circle. "Same here... They're pretty flexible." She reached down to adjust the straps. "We've currently got about the equivalent of thirty Cocoonic notes, give or take with the current conversion rate."

Lightning moved to meet Fang's gaze. "All that, just for a pair of horns?"

Fang nodded with a grin. "There are certain _perks_ that come with the title, Light." She moved to take a few of the chips out from her satchel. "The Yun are regarded as people in service, and if anything stands to threaten the people around us, we're honor-bound to take it on headfirst."

Lightning began to walk towards the stall, gently placing the kitten back into her bag. "So... They'll give you freebies in exchange for your presence?"

Fang smiled as she handed over some of the chips, quickly bowing at the merchant. "Exactly." As they moved back into the crowd, she lowered her voice. "Look, it's just part of the whole 'give up your personal safety to provide for the crowd,' kind of thing... I _chose_ to be a Yun, and that means that back in feudal times, I probably would've been putting my life on the line on a daily basis."

After a moment, Lightning nodded. "Are you glad... To have left it?" She stepped across a dip in the road, turning back to extend her arm. "What you said about luck, earlier... It sounds like you've had a pretty hard life."

Fang took her hand with a smile. "Look at me now..." She moved over the gap with grace, before she turned, taking both of Lightning's hands into her own. "If I hadn't gone off to Cocoon, gotten tied up in that mess in the lab... Vanille and I wouldn't have met you guys." Fang paused to examine Lightning's expression, before she leaned in to press a gentle kiss on the crown of her head. "I probably wouldn't have been able to come back here, either."

Lightning's eyelids fluttered shut at the lingering contact, and she began to ease forward into the touch, seemingly ignorant of the crowds around them. "And you think... That was luck?"

Fang laughed under her breath, rumbling quietly. "If that's not luck, I dunno what _is_." After a moment, she leaned back with a smile. "What do you say we go grab some dinner? Kitty's probably getting hungry, too."

Lightning shook her head. "I like 'Odin'." She patted along the side of her satchel. "He's not exactly fearsome, but it still fits."

Fang nodded as she began to walk forward again, keeping her hold of Lightning's hand. "It's good that he's already gotten used to something like fireworks." She turned to nod at the woven bag. "And he seems pretty easy-going, so it'll probably be a breeze to travel with him."

Lightning smiled softly, matching Fang's pace. "If you had told me a day ago that I'd be bringing along a _kitten_ with us..."

Fang laughed, and she turned to grin at Lightning, urging them both forward into the raucous, wild crowd, but for some reason, Lightning suddenly felt at ease within the chaos, as if it had somehow melded out into a shield, or a haven.

Odin peeked out from within the satchel, and after a quiet chirp, he moved back inside to rest against the soft, colorful material.

* * *

"Miss? The room is ready for you."

Anima looked up from the worn, weathered bench, rubbing at the shadows beneath her eyes, before she replaced her glasses with a sigh. "Thank you..." She rose to her feet, and for a moment, she had to brace herself against the wall, before she moved forward without pause.

"Just in here." The uniformed woman moved to gesture at an open room. "I was instructed by the warden to give you all the time you need... Knock if you need anything."

Anima walked inside with a nod. "Again, thank you." She kept her gaze on the floor as she closed the door behind her, but as she moved forward, her eyes slid up to meet a nearly identical pair, and her blood ran cold.

"Now the question _is_, what's made you so desperate that you need _my_ company again?" The voice was as sharp as ever, yet it had lost a fraction of bitterness since Anima had last heard it. "I must have _something_ you want, otherwise you'd have never come back."

Anima fought the urge to shiver, and instead, she took a seat beside the glass. "Well, over the past year or so... I seem to have found many more questions than answers." She adjusted her arms over her lap, staring down at the counter-top. "Some of our friends have changed with time, while some have not."

Jihl narrowed her eyes, staring out from the muddled, perforated glass. "Which?"

Anima looked away for a moment. "Subject One, Lightning... Her level of control has deteriorated to the point where the urge to kill can completely overwhelm her, so she has resorted to living a split lifestyle."

"In order, then." Jihl cleared her throat. "What of Subject Two?"

"Snow. He has a family on the way." Anima inhaled through her nose, slowly leaning back in her chair. "From what I've seen, they're happy... Vanille has her own place to stay-"

"In _order_."

Anima frowned. "Three... Hope." She paused to mull over her words. "He holds the most latent potential, and I've given him the means to discover it at his own pace."

"And_ that's _how we're the same..."

Anima grit her teeth.

"You think yourself so damn _righteous_, but there's no real difference between you and me..." Jihl tipped her chin up with a smirk. "_You_ just don't have the stomach to carry it out."

Anima blinked, finally noticing that her claws had slid out from her fingertips, curling against her palm. "I am picking up the pieces _you_ left behind."

"If that helps you sleep at night..." Jihl shrugged. "Fine. What of the rest?"

Anima nodded in thought. "Fang is with Lightning." She paused, attempting to ease back the muscles in her hand. "Caius and Yeul are home again, with their brother, and they seem happy."

"Really? How _dull_." Jihl stood, moving over to lean on the opposite wall. "Go back to Subject One... She was always the most interesting."

Anima narrowed her eyes. "_Lightning_, and I have no way to tell how, or where she is." She watched as Jihl began to pace, her remaining fingers twitching at her side. "I'm not even certain if she will be mentally stable enough to return."

"So, _what_ is it that you want from me?" Jihl suddenly swung back around, taking her seat once again. "I don't have all day, you know."

Anima fought the urge to react, and she sat quietly as a sudden, overwhelming sense of weight settled over her entire body. "The organism is sentient."

To her credit, Jihl kept her face completely still, until a wry, curling smile crept over her lips. "Interesting. How sentient?"

"At most, advanced speech and self-awareness..." Anima placed her human hand against her wrist, gripping at the carapace. "But it could have progressed even further, with time... Mine, on the other hand, seems barely capable of communication in the first place."

"But it shows potential?" Jihl asked, "Otherwise I'd write it off as a fluke."

Anima nodded. "It wrote 'Animus' on my bedside table."

Jihl let out a laugh. "You... Are _royally_ screwed." She met Anima's gaze with a sneer. "What the _hell_ were you thinking back then?"

Anima merely shrugged, staring down at her hands. "That my own sister wouldn't commit such an act? That I could actually _help_ humanity with our discovery, instead of ruining our entire line of work?" Her fingers suddenly tightened into a fist, and she barely resisted the urge to slam her hand on the counter. "But perhaps I should thank you?!" Anima rose to her feet, hair bristling down to the roots. "For what you did? Perhaps _erasing_ me was the best gift you could have given..." She turned to face the door, breathing deep for a long, lingering moment. "In the end, I am free, and you are not; that's all that matters."

Jihl closed her eyes with a sigh. "So... Do you want answers, or did you really come all the way here just to gloat?"

Anima's hair prickled, sending shivers down her spine. "Do you have any?"

Jihl shrugged. "Technically, no." Slowly, she began to smile. "But I know where to _find_ them."

Anima turned back to face her. "Where?"

Jihl shook her head, and she clicked her tongue once against the roof of her mouth. "No so _easy_, is it? I'll need something in return."

Anima sighed, but after a moment, she returned to her chair. "How much?"

Jihl only smirked.

* * *

Fang bit down on a thick piece of seasoned meat. "Enjoy it?"

Lightning slowly slid open a single eye, having already leaned over to rest against a nearby incline. "If we weren't already going back to Cocoon, I'd ask to _live_ here."

Fang let out a quiet laugh, before she reached over to feed another tidbit of meat to the kitten on her lap, and she smiled when he licked at her fingers. "Your little buddy seems to like it..." She tore off another bite with her mouth and right hand, using her left to continue feeding the tiny creature. "He sure doesn't seem too fussy."

Lightning leaned over to scratch behind Odin's ears. "I'd imagine that he appreciates whatever food he can get..." She offered the kitten a scrap of meat from her own plate. "If his mother was a stray, it couldn't have been an easy life."

Fang nodded. "It's probably a little better up here than further south, though." She crossed her legs in place, staring up at the sky, which had finally fallen quiet as the early hours drew close. "Not so many predators around here... At least, not the big ones."

Lightning adjusted herself against the slope, and she began to focus on the sounds of the field around them, as well as the gentle thrum of city, still filled to the brim with people. "Hey, do you think we should keep heading directly north, or try to reach the east coast?" She closed her eyes, smiling as Odin crawled back over to her lap. "If we go straight north, we'll eventually reach farmland, and end up in the center of Cocoon... But Bodhum is off to the east, so we'll have to head out that way at some point."

Fang wiped at her mouth with her wrist. "What about the coast?"

Lightning shrugged. "Cold, rocky... Not all that hard to navigate, but we'll be missing the opportunity to hitch a train ride north."

Fang grinned, and she set aside her empty plate. "Train ride, eh?" She leaned down beside Lightning, savoring the sensation of the wind on her skin. "Sounds fun."

Lightning nodded, and she turned to the side, gently lowering herself beside Fang's chest. "We should get some sleep before morning hits..."

Fang gazed down at her dozing form; Odin was already curled tight against Lightning's chest, held in place by her hand. "We can cash in those chips for some Cocoonic notes, if you'd like..." Fang yawned, threading her fingers out into Lightning's hair. "Or I could try to _double_ it, as long as you don't mind the possibility of losing it all."

Lightning shrugged. "Whichever you like." She moved her hand against Odin's back, running her fingers through his fur. "Hey, Fang?"

Fang nodded. "Right here."

Lightning opened her eyes for a moment. "You're... A good... Girlfriend." Her voice cracked just a little, but her expression remained the same. "I know that we don't-"

Fang took hold of Lightning's shoulder. "We _could_."

Lightning blinked, before she closed her eyes. "Okay."

Fang laughed under her breath, easing her fingertips over Lightning's forehead. "But do we even _need_ to? You know that I love you... And I know you feel the same."

Lightning nodded.

Fang moved to brush the hair away from Lightning's face. "I try not to worry about it." She smiled, repeating the gentle rhythm across her cheek. "But... I guess everyone has their weaknesses."

Lightning kept silent for a moment, until she moved forward, pressing up against Fang's chest. "You do enough just being here." She nuzzled into Fang's neck, before Odin let out a tiny squeak, attempting to wriggle out from between them. "Sorry buddy..." Lightning moved back to give him enough space, and he settled down immediately.

Fang leaned in to kiss the top of Lightning's head. "Let's try to get some shuteye... Don't take all of it on right now."

Lightning nodded, relaxing against her chest. "Night."

Fang hummed, and she closed her eyes. "Night..." She patted at the side of Odin's head. "Night, buddy."

The little kitten clutched his paws against Lightning's sari, breathing quietly in his gentle state of slumber.

"Weaknesses."

Fang's eyes fly open, but she can take in only the blank, flat surface beneath her, standing tall within her dark, bestial form.

"What do you think I _am_, really?" Five stalks off to the side, gazing directly back at Fang from the corner of her gaze. "Beyond the carapace, or the spikes... You're only human, and you let it _burn_ away at you."

Fang shivers, and her spikes rise out into the air. "Just... Let me sleep, alright?"

Five melds back into the gathering darkness, gazing out at Fang with her deep, green eyes. "No. I'm tired of watching you _run_ yourself in circles..." She stands up, vibrant orange flashing within her irises. "We tackle it, tonight."

Fang braces for the impact as Five leaps out, but her breath is merely stolen as her duplicate passes completely through her, leaving only a smear of dripping, blurred shadow in her place.

"You seek _her_ approval." Five's visage dances back and forth in the flickering, tiny light, although her limbs appear to distort, bearing both claws and spikes at random, jagged lengths. "Always, ever since the _beginning_... And you don't even see why."

Fang drops to her knees, but she keeps her chin held high. "What are you __talking___-?_"

Five suddenly grips at her neck, dragging Fang back up to her feet, suspended in place before her. "You _know_ what I'm talking about." She leans in, forcing the wind out from her throat, and Fang is knocked back, tumbling away into the dream.

"She was the _same_ as you. Nameless... But she _made_ her own name, tore her way back to life." Five stands as a human, staring out at the whirling, torrential air. "You admire that, so you seek her approval."

Fang's claws grip futility at the rabid, slicing wind, and her eyes widen in midair. "Okay?! I'm still not sure what you're getting at!"

Five moves forward, carrying the entire hurricane atop her back. "You _hide_... You channel yourself into what you desperately want to be, but do you realize what that _does?_" She tips her head back to stare into the very eye of the storm, almost completely surrounded by wind and debris and raging fire, but Five stands completely still with her arms outstretched. "Do you even realize what you leave behind?"

Fang's breath stills as she becomes locked within a single, motionless moment.

Five bares her teeth, rising up as a twisted creature of mane and spikes, carapace and skin. "I _am_ you... Even if you'd rather I wasn't." She steps forward, breathing in slow, calculated breaths. "_I_ am your fear, your doubt..." Her voice slips, changing to that of only just a child, staring up at her blankly. "Your shadow."

Fang finds that she scarcely breathe, and she clutches at her chest with ragged, shallow gasps.

"_She_ could survive without you."

Fang curses the sudden, burning liquid upon her face, and she starts to claw at it, willing it away.

"You both _know_ this, and yet she stays... Why do you think that is?"

"She..." Fang exhales, shivering within her carapace. "We're in _love_, even if we don't say it all that often."

Five steps closer, and her short, dark hair rustles in the gathering wind. "And what did you try to forget? Along with the rest of it..." She nearly distorts, but her child-like form stays intact for long enough to lean in, whispering out in Fang's ear. "You don't _remember_ how to love, not entirely... They broke you."

Fang curls in on herself, willing herself to stay motionless, but the dream spirals out around her, picking up speed once again.

"But there _is_ something you can do with broken things." Five stares up at the wind, letting it carry her, until she hovers in place, rising tall once more. "Take me back."

The dream suddenly goes still, and Fang stands upright in human form, balancing upon a winding, endless vine.

"I won't lie, it _will_ hurt... It always hurts." Five extends her arm forward, standing opposite of Fang. "But this _is_ a dream."

Fang looks down at the world below, before she tilts her head back. "What do I need to do?"

Five's mouth blurs, shifting in place, and she grins. "Fall."

The wind nearly takes her, but as Fang reaches out, attempting to catch her counterpart, Five simply drops back, immediately disappearing into the void.

"_Don't-_" Fang clutches at her face, staring out through her fingers. "Don't leave!"

"Follow me."

Fang swallows. "I... I can't."

"Then I can't help you."

The dream begins to shift again, folding in on itself.

"Maybe another night, then... Sleep well, Fang."

Fang's eyes fly open as her name is finally, audibly spoken, but before she can reply, her body is lost, discarded, and it crumbles out into the swirling dark.

* * *

A soft voice sounded over the line, but a tinge of static lingered within the call itself. "Well, I'm going to spend the night back in Palumpolum, but I'll drive over to get you before the weekend rush."

Hope nodded to himself, holding the phone up against his ear. "Thanks, mom... It'll actually be good to take a break from all this." He stroked at Carbuncle's ears with his free hand. "How's everyone over there?"

"They seem good... A little busy, but good." Nora paused for a moment. "But how are _you? _I'm still concerned about how much strain this is putting you under."

Hope glanced over at his desk, swiveling in his chair. "The work is _fun_, actually... But it's a little weird being here, like this." He let out a quiet sigh. "Being so much _younger_ than everyone, as well as... Well, you know."

"I know." Nora lowered her voice slightly. "I want you to _tell_ me if this gets to be too much, and we can postpone your stay for later."

Hope smiled softly. "I'll be sure to keep you in the loop, so don't worry." He moved his fingertips across the edge of his desk, somewhat lost in thought. "But... Once the summer comes around, I'll have some free time to burn."

Nora laughed a little. "Would you want to spend a vacation somewhere? I know we don't travel as much as we used to, but if you wanted, I could try to find some free time to take a trip."

Hope maneuvered his hand between Carbuncle's spikes, stroking at the soft, silky fur. "That sounds nice, actually... And I could always use the driving experience."

"Earn that license of yours, and _then_ we'll talk."

Hope scoffed under his breath. "Dad already _taught_ me..." He paused, as his lungs suddenly felt heavy within his chest. "I will." Hope gave a mock-salute to his desk. "No weekend joyrides for me."

"Good!" Nora laughed a little. "I'm about to run out of battery, here, so I'll call you a little later, okay?"

Hope nodded, standing up from his chair. "Talk to you then."

"Love you."

"Love you too." Hope closed the phone in his other hand, and he turned to face the window. "Well, you wanted me to get out more..."

Three materialized beside him, sitting down on the floor. "Will you be traveling far?" He rose up to gaze out the window. "From your memories, you often went to... Tropical places."

Hope shrugged. "Maybe. Is there anywhere you'd want to go?"

Three sank back to all fours, and his ears went flat against his head. "It... It'll sound silly."

Hope moved to sit in his chair again. "Try me."

"Well." Three glanced away, shuffling his claws together. "Could we maybe go somewhere with water? Some of your memories are about swimming, but I've never... Tried it."

Hope tipped his head to the side. "Why swimming?"

Three shrugged. "I don't know." He leaned back, staring off into the distance. "Whenever we talk in a dream, there's always water... I don't really know why."

"Okay, I'll keep it in mind." Hope watched as Carbuncle walked over to nose at the bowl beside his desk. "Are you hungry, buddy?" He stood up to reach for a cardboard container by his laptop. "If you want, I can see if there are any ponds around, or a swimming pool."

Three's ears perked up, and he moved to watch as Hope poured out some food for Carbuncle. "That would be nice." He disappeared after a moment, but his voice still lingered. "Do you think that the dog will say anything else?"

Hope shrugged, reaching down to scratch behind Carbuncle's ears. "I'm not sure, but I'd bet that if he wants to, he will."

The little dog began to wag his tail at Hope, but he gave no indication of abandoning his current meal.

"Do me a favor?" Three paused, envisioning the screen of a computer. "Anima, she seems to know a lot about us... Will you let me talk to her?"

Hope stilled for a moment, and he began to chew at this bottom lip, before he moved to sit down on his chair again. "Um... Give me a little time to think about it." He tapped at his phone. "Right now, she's listed as do-not-disturb, so we'd have to wait for her, anyway."

Three kept quiet for a while, but his thoughts soon turned to the image of a dark, murky landscape, which he kept hidden in the back of his consciousness. "Is it... Possible for me to have memories?"

Hope looked up from his phone. "What kind of memories?"

"It would be easier to _show_ you, but... Water."

After a moment of contemplation, Hope shrugged. "I'm not sure. It's just another thing to ask her, I guess."

Three envisioned a slow nod, before he began to retreat back into the quietest spot of Hope's mind, an area all to himself. "Okay... Let me know if you need me."

Hope glanced back at his phone. "Will do."

With a deep, resounding sensation, Three slipped away, drifting silently into the darkness.


	18. Chapter 18

Footsteps echoed over the dry, yet chilly pavement, accompanied only by the sound of pattering paws.

With a quiet yawn, Vanille pulled open the door of her car, before she watched as Bhakti hopped up to the seat. "Ready, boy?"

The little dog barked at her, wagging his tail as she strapped him into a snug, woven harness.

Vanille grinned, and she patted along his head. "Good boy! And don't worry, we aren't going to the vet." She walked over to the other side of the car, sliding into the drivers seat. "Just headed to work."

As she moved to turn the ignition, a separate presence made itself known, slowly materializing along the back seat of the car.

"Do you really think he understands anything you're saying?" Four flopped down, sprawling out over the seats.

Vanille shrugged, and she slowly pulled the car out from her parking space. "Well, everyone talks to their pets." She began to focus on the road. "He probably recognizes certain words and tones, but I'm not really sure how much of it gets through."

Four blinked, and her tail began to twitch. "Can we run around again after work?"

Vanille took a moment to think. "Well... Maybe." She waited until they had reached a stoplight, before she leaned back to concentrate. "As long as we try to keep it at healthy balance, you know?" After a the light changed, Vanille began to drive forward again. "I don't want to get too dependent on hunting."

Four turned to the side, and she seemingly pressed her face down against the seat of the car, somewhat muffling her voice. "It was fun."

Vanille kept silent for a while, until the road had widened out into a long, sprawling city street, before she began to speak once more. "It was."

Four gazed up at the moving shadows along the roof of the car, but she blinked when the engine slowed, signaling their arrival. "I'm going back, now... Just call me if you need something."

Vanille nodded as she pushed the door shut behind her, walking along the opposite side of the car, before she moved to unhook Bhakti from his harness. "Will do. C'mon, Bhakti!"

Bhakti jumped down from the seat, and he began to race around her feet in circles.

Vanille giggled at him, closing the door behind her. "There you go..." She began to walk down the parking lot. "You'll be a good boy, right? No barking at anyone but me."

Bhakti kept close to her side, bouncing with every step.

"That's a good puppy." Vanille reached over for the door handle, and she cleared her throat as she walked into the building's back entrance. "Anyone home?" She spotted an apron hanging by the door, and she reached out to tug it over her neck.

"Hey, Van!"

Vanille grinned at the voice. "Hi Gadot!" She skipped over to the kitchen entryway with Bhakti at her heels. "I brought a buddy today!"

As they walked into the kitchen, Gadot turned to face them, before he knelt down with a deep laugh, scratching behind Bhakti's ears. "Good to see him again!"

Vanille skipped up to the sink. "Are you on kitchen duty today?"

Gadot rose to his feet, nodding at her. "Midweek, so it's time to bake." He gestured at the oven. "Lebreau's decided to try out a custom order system, so we've got quite a bit of work to do."

"Oh yeah!" Vanille reached for the faucet handle. "I think she mentioned it a while back..." She moved to dry off her hands. "Okay, do we have a list?"

Gadot nodded, gesturing at the counter-top. "I've been getting out the inventory for today, and we're going to have to set aside the delivery orders while we get today's regular stock done."

A sudden thump sounded against the kitchen wall, and after a moment, someone stumbled out through the door. "Damn it, _damn_... Sorry I'm late!"

Vanille reached over to poke at the newcomer's shoulder. "_Maqui_, don't run in the halls!" She giggled to herself. "I'm starting to sound like Serah, aren't I?"

"Definitely..." Maqui walked over to wash his hands, before he moved to stand beside the counter. "But as long as you don't start lecturing me about tossing cherry bombs at the roof, we'll be fine."

Gadot whacked the side of Maqui's head. "Hey! I _told_ you to cut that out!"

Maqui rolled his eyes, rubbing at his hair. "The damn _squirrels_ are back; I had to scare them off somehow!"

Vanille frowned. "I don't think that's going to keep them away for long..." She began to open a package of flour. "You might have to call an exterminator."

Gadot shrugged. "They've never done any damage before... I mean, they did leave a nest up there, but they didn't manage to chew through anything important."

Maqui shook his head with a smirk. "Just because they didn't _last_ year doesn't mean they won't try it now!" He moved to stand next to Vanille, tearing open the top of a box of baking soda. "But don't worry! If worst comes to worst, I'll just have to send Yuj up there with the big guns..."

Vanille started to smirk. "Big guns?"

Maqui nodded. "I'm actually thinking of starting up a little _side_-project... Firecrackers!" He held out his hands with a grin. "If I can't make a stable income on _military_ grade explosives, I need to get with the times! Recreational sparklers are where the money's at."

Vanille glanced him over. "Just how _old_ are you, again?"

Maqui shrugged. "Twenty, last I checked." He chuckled to himself. "But I've loved explosions ever since I was a kid! Back home, it was the most fun you could have with just a little cheap gunpowder and wax."

Vanille suddenly thought back to the various stories that she had heard about their days as mercenaries, so she held her tongue. "Well... I'd just try to be careful with them; make sure that they aren't strong enough to hurt anyone, or to get you in trouble with the police."

Maqui snickered to himself. "Yes to the first, but I could care less about the fuzz..." He took down a large bowl from the cabinets above. "They'd be too busy with the free samples at the front to worry about what I've got in the garage."

Vanille stifled a laugh. "Next time you guys try out the flamethrower, can I watch?"

Gadot chuckled from beside her. "So long as you keep a good distance! That old thing's real prone to spitting out more than it can handle."

Vanille's eyes widened. "How much, exactly?"

Gadot grinned. "Let's just say that if you need something wiped off the face of the earth... I'm your man." He reached over to snatch the bowl from Maqui's hands. "But we should get going on these orders; I'd rather not have nothing to show for it when Lebreau gets back."

"Okay..." Vanille began to rifle through the cabinets. "What's on first?"

Gadot took a piece of paper out from his pocket. "Dozen or so cupcakes, frosted."

Vanille grinned. "Easy enough."

Maqui leaned over to look at the list. "Ooh, palmiers..."

"Those will be a little more difficult." Vanille set down a line of measuring cups over the counter. "We'd better get going, then!" As she started to recite the steps from memory, Vanille didn't quite notice the lingering thought-process within the back of her mind, that of torn, blooded feathers, as well as the taste of copper on her tongue.

Four remained silent in the depths of Vanille's thoughts, but as she continued to mull over the concept of small, chattering squirrels, her presence nearly doubled, alive and wired within the quiet, tangled thicket.

* * *

The city streets had slowed to a soft murmur, while the hanging lanterns barely continued to glow beneath the bright, encompassing light of the morning sun.

Fang woke to the sound of rustling grass at her ears, and she slowly opened her eyes to take in the first bleary, addled images beside her. "...Light?"

Lightning merely stirred, resting on her back. "Hmm."

Fang began to smile, and she reached over to smooth her fingers over the tiny, soft creature that had tucked himself below Lightning's chin. "It's already morning, love."

After a moment, Lightning began to open her eyes, slowly taking sight of the rolling, puffy clouds that traveled far above. "You started to shake in your sleep." She turned, moving Odin into her hands. "Tried to wake you, but it stopped after a while..."

Fang moved closer, so that their foreheads brushed together. "Weird dreams, nothing to worry about." She yawned quietly, attempting to shiver away the last few dregs of sleep. "Ready to get moving?"

Lightning nodded. "As for your idea last night; I'm starting to think that it would be best if we skipped the gambling."

Fang merely grinned as she eased herself into a sitting position.

With Odin in her free hand, Lightning sat up as well, balancing her other arm against the slope. "The exchange station that you talked about..."

Fang nodded. "Near the edge of the plateau, down by the highway."

Lightning glanced over at the city beside them, and she stared out into the slow, milling crowds. "The same road from before, right?"

With another yawn, Fang rose up to her feet. "Yeah." She turned, offering a hand in Lightning's direction, while adjusting her satchel with her other. "If we spend most of today traveling, we can probably get in some good distance before dark." Fang pointed to the north. "Yaschas is built just within sight of the border, so we can either try to sweet-talk our way through the checkpoint, or make a break for it and hope that they can't catch up to us."

Lightning accepted Fang's hand. "Do you think anyone would let us hitch a ride?" She moved to put Odin back into her satchel as she rose to her feet. "If we can find someone willing to let a few... 'Cousins with weird horns who also happened to lose their passports on vacation' use a seat or two in their car..."

Fang chuckled under her breath. "Never understood why your border patrol is so damn _stringent_..." She began to walk forward. "You'd think that they wouldn't be so paranoid of foreigners."

Lightning shrugged, following after Fang. "It might be just a power play... 'You have to meet this many requirements to cross our borders,' or something like that."

Fang rolled her eyes. "I don't even know." She smiled as they walked out into the crowd, and her gaze caught on a distant outpost. "Hey, there's our exchange station..."

Lightning glanced over to see a long, narrow building, but instead, she found herself staring down at the land just below the mesa, which spread out into a wide, sprawling area of clear grassland. "Not so hilly over there."

Fang nodded as they continued down the road. "You might even be able to see Cocoon from _here_..." She leaned back to look at the clouds above, slightly slowing her pace. "Do you ever think... Think about what they're doing, back there?"

"All the time." Lightning moved to brush her shoulder against Fang's arm. "But as long as they're happy..."

Fang grinned. "I don't worry so much, anymore." She began to kick along a stray pebble, savoring the feeling of the sandals at her feet. "At first I did, yeah... 'What if Vanille can't handle herself?'" Fang moved to stare at the ground for a moment, before she looked up to see the passing crowds. "But she's not alone out there... If _anything_, Serah would just come hunt us down _personally_ if something went wrong."

Lightning nearly laughed at the mental image of Serah trekking tirelessly across the jungles of Gran Pulse, dragging Snow along behind her, each of them carrying a machete in hand. "She's familiar with the terrain, at least."

Fang hummed a little, breathing deep. "Can't wait to see them again." After a moment, she paused, staring at the side of a nearby building. "Light..."

Lightning turned to follow Fang's gaze, and her eyes nearly widened upon sight of a small, wall-mounted payphone. "Oh."

Slowly, Fang reached into her satchel. "Now, _that's_ new." She ran a single chip between her fingertips, staring over at the metal device. "Didn't think they'd manage to get phone-lines all the way out here... But if they went _wireless_..."

Lightning watched as Fang made her way up to the device, and she began to follow. "Will the reception be any good?"

Fang shrugged. "Worth a try." After a moment of examining the phone, she smiled, moving to face Lightning. "Here, try calling the house."

Lightning looked down at the chip that Fang had dropped into her hands, and she held it tight for a moment, before she reached toward the device. "Alright."

* * *

Snow leaned back to hoist a large, potted plant through the hallway, before a quiet ring made him pause, placing the ficus down against the tile. "Serah, can you get that?"

"In the middle of something!"

With a shrug, Snow walked over into the living room, reaching for the phone. "Hello?"

"Snow..."

Snow's eyes widened. "Light?!"

A muffled crash sounded against the opposite wall, but as Snow wheeled back to investigate, Serah had already raced into the room. "Is it _really..?_"

Snow grinned, handing the phone over to her.

Serah pressed the phone up to her ear. "Light?"

A low, quiet hum crackled over the line. "Hey... It's been a while."

Serah nodded vigorously to herself, cradling the phone to her cheek. "How've... How've you been?"

She could almost sense Lightning's smile. "Good. And you?"

Serah grinned as wide as she could, and she reached up to wipe at the space below her eyes. "So _good_, Light... I have so much to _tell_ you! How long can you stay on the line?"

"The listing says that I get five minutes for one credit, but if we need more time..." Lightning paused for a moment. "Serah, we've decided to come back for a while."

A tingly sensation spread out within her chest, and Serah nodded, clutching at the phone. "I can't tell you how glad I am..." She placed her free hand across her belly, smiling when Snow moved to sit beside her. "Are the two of you okay? Nothing's gone wrong?"

"Well, we've had our share of mishaps, but we're doing well." A sudden, high-pitched sound interrupted Lightning's voice, and she began to mutter under her breath. "Odin, not _now_..."

Serah leaned over against Snow's shoulder. "Odin..?"

"You'll see when we get back." Lightning paused. "What about you? Have things been alright since we left?"

Serah shared a long, lingering look with Snow. "Better than alright..."

Lightning kept quiet for a moment. "Serah, I _know_ that tone."

"Well..." Serah reached up to twirl a lock of her hair around her index finger, mulling over her words. "We do have some news to tell you, but-"

"Serah." Lightning exhaled, and Serah could almost _feel_ her share a silent glance with Fang. "You know what... Can it wait for us to come back?"

Serah let out a quiet sigh. "It's a _good_ thing, Light! So don't worry."

"Alright." A low tone rang out over the line. "I think that's our timer..."

Serah's fingers tightened around the phone. "Where _are_ you right now? How soon will you be back?"

"It's a city called Yaschas, and I can't really estimate..." Lightning's voice began to distort, but it was still audible for a moment. "Serah? We'll try to get back there as soon as we can, but-"

Serah winced at the static. "Light? Stay _safe_, okay?"

A muffled, broken clip of audio sounded off, before the line went completely silent.

Snow tried to smile at Serah. "If the connection was bad..."

Serah nodded. "I know, it's okay." She kept quiet for a moment, before a wide, beaming smile spread over her face. "They're coming back!"

Snow moved forward to wrap her in a hug, and Serah leaned up into his embrace, giggling quietly against the crook of his neck.

* * *

With a quick shove, Vanille leaned away from the oven. "Okay, just need to set the timer." She rose back up to her feet, dusting her apron off as she turned back to face the kitchen. "We can start up some more batter if you guys like, or we could-" Vanille paused as her phone began to chirp from within her pocket, but when she pulled it out to examine the display, her eyes narrowed slightly. "One sec, this number isn't in my contacts..." She moved out into the hallway. "Hello?"

"Hey, Van."

Vanille froze in place, and she stood in complete silence for one long, lingering moment, before the floodgates burst.

* * *

Fang nearly leaned back from the phone. "Ah, _damn_..." She winced a little. "_Vanille!_ I can't understand you when you talk that fast!" Fang sighed a little. "Slow _down_, missy!"

Lightning chuckled under her breath, leaning back against the wall. "Hey, it's _been_ two years..."

Fang rolled her eyes at the phone. "Your own place? Good for-!" She paused, listening intently. "She _what..?!_"

Lightning raised an eyebrow at Fang's tone.

"Are you serious?" Fang moved to brace herself on the wall, creasing her brow in thought. "No, she _did_, but I didn't hear anything about it." After a moment of silence, Fang began to nod. "Alright, alright, I promise... Just promise _me_ that you'll keep an eye on things!" She smiled. "Good. Well, then... I only have a few minutes of time, so I want you to do this; when you next see Serah, tell her that Lightning didn't mean to cut off the conversation so soon." With a nod, Fang pushed off from the wall. "We're on our way back, yes."

Lightning winced when an audible, high-pitched sound rang out from the phone.

Fang grinned. "Man, you'd think we were gone for _years_ or something..." She began to pace slowly around the area, and she listened in silence for a long while. "Yeah, I know... You too." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Again, you too. We'll see you soon."

"Sounds like she missed you." Lightning smiled softly, watching as Fang set the phone back on the hook. "Anything new?"

Fang scratched at the back of her neck. "Vanille's got her own place, and she did mention... Interacting a lot more with Four."

Lightning's eyes narrowed slightly. "She didn't say much about the topic, back then."

Fang nodded. "I guess Four's been pretty shy."

With a slow nod, Lightning moved forward from the wall, walking over towards the front of the building. "_Talk_ to her about it when we get back, okay? If she's anything like ours, Vanille might need some guidance." In the back of her head, Lightning could envision One rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, will do." Fang reached into her satchel. "Let's see what we can get for-" She paused, and her eyes went wide.

A tall, heavy-set man passed in front of them with a crate in his arms, but as his gaze met Fang's, his eyes widened as well. "...Little Yun?"

"Holy hell." Fang tipped her head back to grin at him. "Small world, buddy?"

Lightning nearly jumped back when Fang was tackled in a hug, but she relaxed when Fang returned the gesture, patting a solid clap against the large man's back.

"It's alright, little Dia..." Fang closed her eyes. "How've you been, Basu?"

The man leaned back after a moment, wiping the moisture away from his eyes. "Good, good..! But what about you?!" Basu tilted his head to the side, summoning a distant smile. "Last I saw, you had gone off with the others..." His gaze lingered on the curve of Fang's horns, and then down to the rings of orange in her eyes. "What _happened_, little Yun?"

"Fang." She closed her eyes. "Oerba Yun, Fang... Well, we jumped around from village to village for a while, but I never really settled after that, until I met a friend, and we went to Cocoon." Fang reached up to clap at his shoulder. "Glad to see you did alright, big guy."

Basu let out a deep laugh. "Well I sure didn't get any _skinnier_, thanks to you!" He turned to point at the stack of crates by his feet. "Started up a fish, game and commodities company just over the border; we supply most of the food for the city, including foreign exports."

Fang smiled. "Wow... Always had a good mind for it, didn't you?" She reached up to whack at the side of his head with her knuckles. "Neither of us really fit the mold, eh?"

Basu frowned at her tone. "They didn't hold it against you, did they..?" After a moment, he leaned to the side, waving at Lightning with a tiny smile. "Hello! I'm Oerba Dia Basu."

"Lightning." She nodded at him. "Nice to meet you."

Fang moved over to nudge Lightning's shoulder. "Light and I have been spending quite a bit of time out here, but we've got some family over in Cocoon to get back to."

Basu glanced at the flatland below. "Then you've got a ride back, right?" He turned to look at them both. "I hope you two aren't planning to _walk_ all the way up there..."

Fang shared a glance with Lightning.

Lightning shrugged. "We've... Got our ways of moving fast."

Fang nodded. "Don't worry about us; just wish us luck getting past the border in once piece."

Basu frowned. "Little- _Fang_, they'll send you right back over here, or worse!" He turned around, gesturing at the crates. "Wait, before you go... If you _really_ don't have passports, I can try to get you past the checkpoint during my next pickup."

Lightning glanced to the side. "And when is that?"

Basu began to smile. "I have a few more crates to unload, but then I'm headed back."

"We'll give you a hand with them, then." Fang walked forward with a smile. "Light, can you turn in these for me?" She moved to pass over the credit chips to Lightning. "I doubt they'd try to cheat you, but keep an eye on the conversion board."

Lightning nodded. "It should only take a moment; I'll be right back." She turned to walk up to the nearby building, and her gaze honed in on a certain rack of goods. "Excuse me?"

The attendant looked up to greet her. "Welcome."

Lightning placed her hand over the counter. "I'd like to get these exchanged; we're headed up into Cocoon." She pointed at a large, leather canteen. "Would these be enough for one of those?"

The attendant watched her set down the credits, and he began to sort them out upon the counter. "Certainly." He walked over to take down one of the canteens, before he placed beside the chips. "You would have enough left over for six Cocoonic notes, or you could take three of your credits back."

Lightning's thoughts drifted back to the price of their shoes, as well as the phone conversation. "Sounds about right." She waited for the attendant to pass her a thin stack of bills, before she carefully slid them down into her satchel. "Don't chew on these, okay?"

Odin let out a quiet chirp, staring up at her from beside the pair of books.

"Good kitty." Lightning reached for the canteen. "Thank you."

The attendant nodded. "There's a faucet over there..." He pointed at the opposite side of the building. "It connects right to the city water supply, so it'll be safe to fill your canteen with it."

Lightning smiled over her shoulder. "Thanks again." She turned back to the road, and her gaze moved over to examine the cargo truck.

"Hey, Light!" Fang waved at her. "C'mere, we're almost done."

Lightning walked up to lift one of the crates out from the truck, but she staggered slightly with the weight. "What's _in_ these?"

Basu grinned. "Peaches! Can't grow them very well around Gran Pulse, so we get these imported from southern Cocoon..." He hefted a large crate into his arms, before he set it down beside the others. "Sweet foods like this sell like crazy down here, and Yaschas _loves_ their foreign fruits."

Fang leaned back from the crate she had moved, and she reached back to massage the curve of her spine. "I'm glad you've already got most of them out..." She glanced over at Basu. "You've got some muscle under that chub, eh?"

Basu beamed at her. "Only because _you_ whipped me into shape, lady."

Fang let out a quiet laugh. "Still a snark, aren't you?" She moved down to lift another crate. "Good to see that you're doing well for yourself; I already thought that you'd be fine, but an entire business is something else..."

Basu nodded as he picked up another crate. "After Oerba, we went to live with some of my cousins, and one of my uncles was looking to expand his company ties out into Cocoon... The rest is history."

Lightning set down a crate within the pile. "Did you have any trouble with the border?"

Basu shook his head. "Apart from getting a business license and passports for the workers, it was pretty easy." He reached over to lift up the last crate. "The _hunting_ is another story, though... We have ties to every major fish and game association in Cocoon, but we barely ever catch word of news so far south."

Fang stepped back to rest against the side of the truck, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. "That's all of it, right?"

Basu nodded. "I'd offer both of you a seat in the front, but-" He trailed off, glancing at Fang's horns.

Fang rolled her eyes. "It's alright... I _know_ they're there." She reached up to tap at her horns. "I'll tell you the story on the way there, alright?"

With a smile, Basu gestured at the truck. "You're all set to go, then?"

Lightning reached into her satchel for the canteen. "I just need to fill this."

Fang leaned over to examine the leatherwork. "Nice... You got that at the exchange?"

Lightning nodded. "Yeah, I'll be right back."

Fang watched as Lightning walked over to the side of the building. "It's been... A weird couple of years." She leaned back to stare at the sky, lost in thought for a short while. "You watch the news, Basu?"

"Sometimes." Basu pressed the heel of his boot down against the dirt, leaning back beside her on the truck. "I do remember hearing a certain... Odd story, a while back."

Fang grinned, pushing herself forward with a nod. "Odd doesn't even _begin_ to cover it..."


	19. Chapter 19

Resting against the inside of the truck, Lightning closed her eyes to concentrate on the rumbling sensation beneath them, frowning as they hit a particularly nasty bump.

"So by then we'd made it back to stay at the house for a while, but we also decided to head out to one of the labs, in order to bust out a mutual friend..." Fang paused, thinking back. "And _then_ this whole other ordeal happened back in Bodhum, but it was mostly just some old fart getting us mixed up in his political affairs."

"You lead-" Basu chuckled. "_Very_ interesting lives..."

The corners of Lightning's mouth twitched up. "That's one way to put it."

"So you're _really_ going to travel back there on foot?" Basu frowned, staring at the road ahead. "I mean, it sounds like you can cover a lot of ground when you're shifted, but..."

Fang smirked to herself. "In the course of... Maybe a week, we've made the trip from below Oerba, over to Paddra, and then up here."

Basu whistled. "Damn..." He reached up to point at the front window, gesturing at an upcoming outpost. "Alrighty, time to duck and cover."

Lightning opened her eyes, and with a quiet sigh, she dropped down against the metal floor. "If we get caught, I'm making a break for it."

Fang chuckled from beside her. "Just don't leave me behind..." She held her breath as the rumbling began to slow, but after a moment of silence, a gruff voice called out from a distance.

"Basu, get on back!" Something pounded against the side of the truck. "And turn on your damn radio! Weather station!"

"Oh? What's going on?" Basu leaned out over the edge of his window. "Another storm?"

"Up from the gulf!" The voice began to fade. "Now go on, _get!_"

As the truck roared back to life, Fang rose to back into a sitting position. "That doesn't sound fun." She leaned forward to gaze out the window. "The sky looks clear, but if it's a tropical storm..."

With a frown, Basu turned on the radio.

_-heavy winds are already breaking over the coast of Eastern Pulse-_

Fang let out a soft huff. "_Gran_ Pulse."

Lightning leaned in to listen. "If we stick to the mainland, we'll probably avoid the brunt of the storm." She shook her head after a moment. "Looks like traveling on the coast is out."

Fang nodded. "Yeah, I'd rather not tangle with hurricane season..." She eased back after a moment. "Would you happen to have a road map in here?"

Basu reached for the glove compartment, before he handed her a folded, plastic sheet. "Yup."

Fang opened the laminated map over her lap. "Okay, so this is Yaschas..." She pointed at a small dot. "Here's the highway that we're on, and we just crossed the border into Cocoon."

Lightning leaned over to look. "Like I thought... Most of this area has only farming towns; see the names?" She pointed at a wide stretch of land. "Similar prefixes between each county."

Fang nodded. "So if we take this same highway north..." She traced up the map with her fingertip. "We'll hit a crossroads, which will take us to another route." Fang moved her finger even further north, until it brushed over a city marker. "Euride..." She kept moving. "And then a long, twisty path up to Bodhum."

"Looks about right." Lightning moved to look out the window. "If it's raining by the time we get there..."

Basu pointed at the windshield. "We're just a moment or so away, but are you _sure_ you want to try traveling in a storm?" He frowned, turning to glance up at the sky. "Even with what you describe, one misplaced lightning bolt..."

"Well..." Fang waggled her eyes at Lightning. "I don't think even _you_ could manage getting struck, Light."

Lightning sat back with a quiet sigh. "Yeah, yeah." She blinked at the floor, examining the dust and grit as it bounced across the metal surface. "Is there anywhere we can stay to wait this out? I wouldn't want to intrude-"

Basu shook his head. "Any friend of Fang's is a friend of mine! You guys are welcome to hang out in the break room, and I'm pretty sure we have some empty bunks out back if you need a nap."

Fang smiled at him. "Awful kind of you." She leaned back, gently thumping her head against the side of the truck. "We'll see how the sky looks when we get there."

Basu pointed to the side. "I can see the front doors from here."

After a moment, Lightning moved over to face the back of the truck. "If it's just going to be wind and rain, I think we can handle it." She glanced over her shoulder to meet Fang's gaze. "Anything wilder, and I agree; we should wait it out."

With a rumble, the truck groaned to a stop, and Basu moved to open the door beside him. "I'll be right there."

Fang waited until he had pushed his door shut, before she lowered her tone, leaning forward. "No risky moves, okay? We made it past the border in one piece, and I'd like it to stay that way."

Lightning nodded. "Okay."

With a smile, Fang leaned forward, rising to her feet. "Let's take a look at that sky, yeah?"

Lightning accepted the hand offered to her, and as the back of the truck began to creak, folding up to reveal the world outside, she frowned. "That's..."

Fang frowned as well. "One hell of a storm."

* * *

"She said _Yaschas_, right?" Serah's fingers raced over the keyboard, until she paused to read over the search results. "Oh... It's right on the border, Snow!"

Snow peeked in from the opposite room, brushing away the dust from his hands. "Got the ficus upstairs..." He moved to pull up a chair, and he sat down beside the desk. "On the border, huh?"

Serah nodded, gazing at the images of colorful lanterns and goods, slightly lost in thought. "I hope they're still having fun along the way..." After a moment, she shook her head. "Fang would make sure that Light was enjoying herself, and she sounded happy over the phone."

Snow grinned at the screen as Serah scrolled to the next image, depicting a huge, bustling market. "Wow, look at all that stuff..."

Serah moved to another page. "Let's see how close they are to-" She paused, examining a map of Cocoon. "I wish we could calculate how far they could travel over a certain distance..."

Snow nodded. "Yeah, but look at how it compares to the space between cities..." He pointed at where Bodhum was located. "They have an entire country to cross, so I wouldn't-" Snow paused, mulling over his words. "I wouldn't want to make any estimates, because I just don't know."

Serah leaned back in her chair. "It's alright... I'd guess at least a couple months, though." She smoothed a hand over her stomach. "Do you think I made it sound obvious?"

Snow shrugged. "Maybe that something was up... But even if she decides to kick my ass, I can't see her getting too upset about it." He tipped his head to the side with a smile. "She... I really think that she sees you as an adult, now."

Serah smiled as well.

"I hope we can-" Snow paused for a moment to think. "I really hope that she and I can be friends, someday... At least on some level."

Serah leaned forward with a nod. "You'll just have to play it cool; no taunting her over national television, okay?"

Snow scratched at the back of his head. "I'm never gonna live that one down, am I?"

Serah moved to swat at his nose. "Seriously, getting hit by a bus, and _then_ a car?"

Snow caught her wrist with a grin. "But I _meant_ to get hit by the bus..."

Serah raised a single eyebrow at his tone, before she poked at his forehead with her free hand. "You silly man."

Snow beamed at her. "Just for you, babe."

With a scoff, Serah couldn't help but smile back. "I was in the hospital already; you could have given me a heart-attack."

Snow's eyes widened slightly, and he released her wrist, only to cradle it in his hands. "I didn't... At that point, I didn't-"

Serah shook her head. "I know. We weren't really as good about communication as we could have been..." She moved her other hand to cover his. "But it all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

Snow could only nod, tracing over her knuckles with his fingertips.

Serah smiled. "Let's get some lunch?"

After a moment, Snow stood up with a grin, extending his hand to help Serah stand as well. "I've got a hankering for grilled cheese..."

Serah giggled. "Just be glad that I won't ask you to cover them in peanut-butter!"

With a mock-gag, Snow let out a quiet laugh as he led them both out into the hall. "You and your cravings..."

Serah smiled, and she closed her eyes, leaning against his side. "Mm-hmm... Pretty crazy." She inhaled, and after a moment, she walked forward on her own, gesturing for Snow to follow. "But still not as crazy as certain things, though..."

Snow moved up beside her with a lopsided grin. "Such as?"

Serah tried to stifle a laugh, beaming from behind her hands. "Running out into traffic!"

After a moment, Snow let out a long, yet spirited sigh. "Can't argue with that."

* * *

A long, rumbling peal of thunder sounded off in the distance, and the dim lighting flickered even further, casting the room in mostly shadow. A small television chattered on despite the noise, flashing several wide, bright rays of light upon the weathered sofa before it.

Fang gazed down at the tiny, crackling screen, and she slowly moved to fold her arms over her chest. "Are you _sure_ you want to move out in this?" She pointed at a satellite image of the oncoming storm. "If not for _us_, then for your little buddy, here."

Leaning back against the wall, Lightning watched as Odin batted at Fang's fingers, flicking his tail around. "Alright... We'll wait the worst of it out."

With a smile, Fang patted her free hand against the couch beside her. "Sit with me?"

With a nod, Lightning stood up to walk beside the front of the sofa, before she moved down to sit next to Fang. "Well... This should give us some time to keep reading, at least." She reached over to take the larger tome out from her satchel, and she began to slide her fingertips along the outer binding. "We couldn't risk opening it under rainfall, anyway."

Fang nodded. "Want me to try reading the next part?" She leaned to the side, allowing Odin to walk over to Lightning's lap. "I'd like to see just how fast I can read out loud; it's been a while."

Lightning's thoughts drifted back to the point in time when their group had only just escaped from the laboratory, in which both numbers and letters were still merely a dizzying jumble of crooked lines and symbols.

"Go ahead." Lightning passed the book over to Fang, who began to open it across her lap.

"Okay, so they'd only just killed the bear." Fang paused for a moment. "Kujata's brother got hit with what sounds like a bunch of regeneratives..." She glanced over at Lightning's satchel. "Wanna check what Anima says about them?"

Lightning reached over to open the second book, and she propped it beside where Odin had curled up on her sari. "Well, the first section is mostly just about plants..." She flipped through the pages. "There _is_ something about microscopic organisms on this one."

Fang leaned over to look over the flowing text.

_The fixers, (or 'regeneratives', as we've come to call them,) have all shown significant differences when compared to our other assembled organisms, and yet... They are seemingly __useless__, despite displaying several symbiotic tendencies when placed alongside our main sample group._

_I know that by no means can fables be trusted in terms of accuracy, but if I am to be honest with myself... This is __very__ disappointing. We expected to find a creature capable of mending the wounds of a host within mere seconds, and all that we have to show for our efforts is the equivalent of a parasite..._

Fang leaned back against the couch. "Well... They either found the _real_ thing later on, or they managed to enhance it." She nearly startled as a crash of thunder shook throughout the building itself, and after a moment of silence, she let out a sigh. "Wouldn't be too surprised if the power goes out..."

Lightning kept quiet for a while, but she began to count under her breath when another flash of light illuminated the entire room.

"Wait for it..." Fang winced as another, louder crash sounded off in the distance, and she shook her head. "Let's read one more section, but then I'd like to rest up a little."

Lightning nodded. "I think it was nearly morning by the time we got to sleep..." She moved to stroke beside Odin's ears. "If we take it easy until the storm passes over, we could get in some good distance before we need to rest again."

Fang turned back to the book on her lap. "Alright, where we left off..."

* * *

I will never forget the looks... The _shock_ on their faces when we dragged that wretched beast back into camp.

Nor will I forget the humiliation of serving hours upon hours of penance for our disobedience. My student wrinkles his nose at such a notion, that one could be punished for going above and beyond... But what we did not fully understand at that point, was that to disobey your elders is an act _far_ worse than failure.

I can still remember it clearly, even if I had nearly managed to convince myself to flee... Several times, in fact; once we mustered up the courage to find where they had hidden the creature, I almost ran all the way back to my tent, vowing to cover myself in blankets and hide the night away.

But... My brother _insisted_ that whatever the creature held within its veins was precious, and to be preserved; so once we had served out the time for our ill-begotten quarry, he set to dragging us both straight back to the source... The beast itself.

* * *

"It's not healing anymore?" The first child knelt down beside the fallen creature with his hands splayed out within its thick, dark fur. "I know that you killed it to _protect_ me, but..." He trailed off, gazing down at the small, pointed horns that lay beside the bear's ears. "I just _wish_ we had been able to bring it back alive."

The second child sat cross-legged, opposite his brother, while he kept his gaze on the outer flap of the tent. "Do what you need to do... But we really need to get out of here before-" He paused, focusing on the sound of passing footsteps. "Just be _quick_, alright?"

The first nodded. "It was moving around in the blood, remember?" He took the knife from his belt, before he eased it down beside the bear's dark, furry hide. "Do you remember the stories, brother? They'd... They'd use the blood of their enemies to grow _stronger_."

"I don't think it was serious!" The second shook his head back and forth. "I know I can't even _begin_ to talk you out of this, but... Do you _really_ want that kind of thing?" He turned to face his brother, shivering at the unusual way the smaller child sat, nearly hunched over the fallen bear. "Do you really want to risk this..?"

The first blinked at the creature below him, before he thrust forward with his knife. "If it works for me, you should try it too." He moved the knife away after a moment, examining the thick, clotted blood that trickled down along the blade. "We could be _heroes_."

The second forced himself not to flinch as his brother pressed the knife to his mouth, drinking at the glistening liquid.

"Well..?" The first leaned back, and after a long, silent moment, he frowned and shook his head. "No, no... I'm being stupid."

The second nearly sighed in relief, before he reeled away with a strangled cry as his brother slit a line down his own, shaking hand, before he jammed it deep within the wound he had already given the bear.

"If his blood is to be mine..." The first thrust his palm further into the carcass, narrowing his eyes with a snarl. "It needs to be in my _veins_, not my stomach."

"_Stop_ this..!" The second almost gagged on his own breath, and he began to shiver in place. "It's not respectful to-"

The first growled quietly, squeezing his eyes shut. "_Respect?_" He shook his head with a quick snort. "I'll give them respect once they give _me_ some... Are you _really_ content with being ordered around? With being-" The first let out a gasp, before he wrenched his fist back, staring down at the healed, yet trembling flesh. "With being restrained?"

The second could only stare as his brother rose up to his feet, standing upright alongside the long, flickering bumps that traveled up and down his limbs, holding a low growl in his throat.

"I am not _weak_." He tightened both of his hands into fists, savoring the fleeting, hot prick of heat beneath his pointed, expanding fingernails. "And you don't have to be, either..."

* * *

I wish I had possessed the strength to refuse.

I wish... I wish that I could have _stopped_ him, both then and there.

If only I had walked away beforehand, leaving him without a lookout... Would he have followed after me? Would he have forgotten those cursed claws, the bone and blood that would soon rend his flesh to pieces?

I cannot say _why_ I accepted... Only that there was something different to his tone, something that I would later attribute to his strength as a leader; his voice inspired both obedience and deference to his judgment...

I dearly wish that we could have traded places at that point; he was never the same after that night, and I could barely even recognize him as he greeted me the next morning... Or I should say, 'greeted the both of our wrists in shackles.'

* * *

"See?!" The first child spat at the ground, struggling to tear his hands free from the thick, layered ties that kept him firmly down against the post. "Any thoughts of your own... Any free _will_, and they treat you like waste!"

The second child merely hung his head. "It can't be just that..." He shivered at both the chill of the morning air, and the odd, prickling sensation that began to travel down his spine, which only fed the long, curving protrusions at the sides of his skull. "We found a _monster_, brother... Look at us!"

The first looked up to examine his companion, but his expression remained the same. "I see only a man on his own path..." He suddenly cracked a wide grin, leaning back against the tent post. "The same path as mine."

The second frowned at his feet. "What are they waiting for?" He nearly cried out as his skull began to throb, causing a wide trickle of blood to flow beside his forehead. "What... What does it look like?"

The first tried to shrug, but his restraints allowed only a slight twitch of his shoulders. "Horns." He shook his head. "You look like an ox."

"An... Ox?" The second slumped forward, breathing with shallow, gasping breaths. "Why... Why did you have to go and-" He groaned, shivering as his fingers swelled in and out, boiling the flesh beneath his skin. "Why?!"

"The pain has to pass..." The first held back a hiss as his own forehead creased, allowing his set of dark, sweeping horns to swell in size. "It will, I just know it."

"I hope you know what you're talking about..." The second doubled-over in pain after a moment of silence, but the ties at his back kept him upright. "Are they waiting for it to stop..? What if they're going to-"

Something rustled at the front of the tent, and a moment later, a man moved in through the flap, offering them a weathered face, one void of expression. "Our ways are clear... And you have _clearly_ not learned from the error of your actions."

"Mora..?" The second bit back a sob. "I'm so_ sorry-_"

"No." Mora sat down between them. "No apologies. Your punishment has been decided, and as your mentor, it is my duty to carry it out." He inhaled through his nose, glancing between both of the brothers. "_But_, I know how children think... And this is an odd set of circumstances."

The first opened his mouth to speak, but when his mentor shot him a glare, he lowered his head with a sigh.

"No, we _do_ have a use for thick skulls..." Mora rose to his feet. "And strong limbs." He gestured at the tent flap, before he moved over, kneeling down to work at the ties. "You'll _learn_ your discipline in battle."

The second froze in place, even as his arms were freed. "What? We're not old enough to-"

"War knows no age..." Mora walked over to squint at the first child. "If you run, I will _personally _chase you down." He knelt to stare deep into the altered eyes of his student, despite the unusual flecks of orange that awaited him. "This is your third, and final chance... Do _not_ make me take it back."

"War..?" The first exhaled as his wrists came loose, and he moved one of his hands to massage the redness along his other wrist. "Down in the valleys? We aren't in the line of-"

Mora ushered him to his feet. "Up! We leave at once."

Both of the brothers were quickly herded outside, and to their surprise, a man with bright, orange hair grimaced at them from above. "Really? A couple of whelps?" The man urged his horse to turn, pacing closer. "What the _hell_ do you expect me to do with-"

Mora cleared his throat, and he gestured at the long, curved claws growing at their fingertips. "I think you'll find some use for them."

The man tightened his hold of the reins, squinting to examine the brothers. "...l'Cie?"

Mora returned the phrase with a language that the children couldn't quite understand, and while they could hear several words reminiscent of Pulsian, they were far too intertwined with the strange, flowing speech that simply rolled off the tongue.

"Huh... Never thought I'd see the day." The man let out a low, rumbling laugh, and his horse tossed its head back as he dropped down from the saddle. "Unlucky little blighters, eh?" He shook his head at them, before waving once with his hand. "You may address me as Yun Titan, but I'd guess that the two of you are too young for an exchange of names."

The first spoke up with a silent gasp. "Titan..? Conqueror of Haerii, _that_ Titan?!"

Titan merely offered him a shrug. "It's far from conquered yet..." He rolled his shoulders with a lingering sigh. "So... You expect me to turn a pair of troublemakers into soldiers?" Titan turned away, before he reached back for his horse. "Fine. Get them a set of traveling clothes and a mount; I'll be at the meeting stone." Without so much as a farewell, Titan hauled himself atop his steed, riding off into the village.

"Are we really-?" The second winced as he was pushed forward. "_Really_ being sent away?! I didn't think-"

"Quiet." Mora pointed at a nearby tent. "The village has spoken, and _you_ should count your lucky stars that Titan was in the area, much less _willing_ to accept an audience with us..." He knelt down beside the edge of the tent, before he returned with a single knapsack and spear. "Your weapons, some clothes..." Mora tossed the spear over with a sigh, passing the backpack along with it. "Keep them close, and take any instruction that you receive to heart."

The second child frowned as time itself seemed to move forward in a blur, and before he could very well process what was happening, he was seated upon a saddle behind his brother, watching the edge of the village disappear behind them.

"It's obviously been quite a while, but I remember what it was like to live without a name..." Titan reached over to pat at his horse's neck. "Hell, even our mounts get names before we do!" He turned around to face the brothers. "Tell you _what_, because I'm not sure what else to work with... I'm going to give both of you something to call you by."

The first looked up from the saddle, and his eyes began to widen. "Really?"

Titan spat off the side of his horse, striking the dead center of a nearby leaf. "Why not? You'll find no real rules in war, you know..." He glanced over his shoulder to squint at them. "Well, biggie looks rather _bovine_, so that's what I'll call him."

The second child frowned, but he merely grimaced, holding his tongue.

Titan began to smirk. "And you, tiny... _You_ look like a leech."

The first lurched forward in the saddle, glaring daggers at Titan's back. "That's a load of_ crap!_"

"Ooh, got some _teeth_, do you?" Titan chuckled, before he turned around to look at the path ahead. "A snake, then!"

The child paused, staring at claws against his palm. "Snake?" He looked down at his wrists, as well as the hardened chips of carapace that had already started to form along his fingertips.

"Snake and Ox." Titan nodded. "Easy enough... Welcome to war, boys!" He pointed out at the forest ahead, swatting away a vine from his face. "Let's hope you can make it past a week, eh?"

Ox, the second, taller child, looked to the side with a frown. "I _still_ can't believe this..."

Snake, the first, could only shrug. "Would you rather us be on our own?"

Ox paused, and after a moment, he shook his head. "No."

Titan waved at them from up ahead, sitting tall upon his horse. "We've got a _long_ ride left to go, so if you don't want that idea to become reality, you'd better keep up..."

Snake let out a gasp as Titan's horse galloped forth, and he reached forward to snap the reins against their own steed. "Hey, wait up!"

Ox winced as the air hit his face, but he merely squinted, allowing his brother to keep them on course as their path wound back and forth up ahead, disappearing further into the dark, twisted jungle.

* * *

Rain pattered mercilessly against the windowsill, while the tiny whiskers of a kitten twitched in time with the rapid noise, it had already snuggled tight against the deep, silken red of a sari.

Fang leaned back with a nod, resting her head on the cushioned sofa. "Well, this _definitely_ dates it..." She let her eyes fall shut. "Haerii was sacked long before the tribes were unified... Before we started to tack on birth-cities to our names." After long a moment, Fang let out a quiet sigh. "This must have happened even before Paddra was built..."

Lightning leaned over to look at the text. "Hey, what's a l'Cie?"

Fang opened her eyes. "Roughly translated... The bearer of a curse, or someone _extremely_ unlucky." She cracked her knuckles together. "Although it might've had a different meaning, back in the day..."

Lightning began to nod, yawning as her fingertips automatically moved to massage throughout Odin's fur. "I could probably use a nap."

Fang grinned. "Well, I think we can oblige..." She chuckled as Lightning's head fell gently against her lap, while Odin sank down into the scarf at her neck, buried deep within the red.

"Just wake me if the storm stops..." Lightning's eyes fell shut, but her brow twitched after a moment, creasing slightly. "Do you think this even _happened?_ What if it's just-"

"We can't tell for sure." Fang reached down to brush away a lock of hair from Lightning's cheek, slowly easing over her skin. "If it _is_ fake, at least it's a decent story, yeah?"

Lightning opened her eyes for a moment, staring up at the face above. "They were _children_, Fang."

With a brief sigh, Fang looked to the side. "I know..." She closed her eyes as well. "Let's just get some sleep."

Lightning couldn't help but frown, but she nodded after a moment, relaxing against Fang's lap. "Thank you for reading."

Fang smiled at that, and she moved to spread her arms out beside her, sinking back against the cushioned sofa. "No problem..." After a while, she nearly laughed as a quiet, yet steady snore began to rumble against her lap, but she found that she had grown far too tired to move, instead easing further, deeper into the silent realm of slumber.


	20. Chapter 20

The road stretches out, unraveling onward until it reaches a wide, steady river, before a single, moving car rumbles down over the pavement, approaching a slim, yet lengthy bridge.

"You didn't even realize it, did you? Not until you saw her again."

Lightning hears the last words repeat once, then twice, and she can almost _feel_ each soft, low syllable as they sink down into the back of her mind, echoing over, and over again.

"You never got to tell them goodbye."

She can finally distinguish the form of the _leather_ seat in front of her, watching just how the sunset plays over the dark material, but then a growing, blinding light-

All she could remember was that single, deafening crash of steel; feel the impact of her chest against the seat-belt, nearly suffocating her in place as she was spun again and again, until it all fell silent, save the thundering rush of water at her side.

"Why didn't you ask to see them? Where they were?"

The scene shifts, and she soon is laying flat against the cot, while thick, sweltering air rushes back into her lungs, and scattered, masked faces bustle about just above.

"You _did_ know..." One appears, only to pace the room, but she ignores the flurry of desperate humans that rush to save the bleeding child. "You _knew_ that they were dead, but you just couldn't accept it until after the fact."

The child croaks against the soft, sterile sheets, attempting to rise, but her limbs are fragile and broken, and her skin is rubbed raw from her recent struggle to escape the crushing, metal snare, torn back in her desperate flight from the murky, sunken wreckage.

She can remember the small, shivering body held tight against her chest, each of them gasping as they stumbled out from the surface, but she had only dropped the limp, pale form against the tall reeds as she herself finally collapsed within the mud.

"Did they drown..? Or was it the impact?"

Lightning bares her teeth. "_Impact_."

One watches as the child fails against the crisp, white surface, crying out for _someone _as a nameless, pleading reflex.

"The driver was _drunk_." Lightning's tail curls up as another bed rolls into the room. "They found... 'Unquestionable levels' in her system."

"But... She died too?"

Lightning snorts. "Too drunk to pull herself out from her car... It wouldn't have even mattered if she hadn't died in the first few seconds."

The child reaches out, blindly grabbing hold of the pale hands beside her, tightening against the damp, clammy skin.

"Serah was in the back with you..." One rises up to her hind legs, and she reaches further into the memory, drawing out the sensation of a strong, steady current. "They said it was... A _miracle_... That you could even swim after the crash."

Lightning closes her eyes. "Miracle? All I remember is pure _adrenaline_... I passed out after we hit the shore." She winces at the sound of muffled, sputtering sobs, and her ears flatten back against her head. "The last thing I remember was when I looked up at the bridge, just seeing where the guardrail had been..."

After a moment of silent contemplation, One turns away, waving off the dream. "I can't quite-" She stops, standing at an angle with her head held low in thought. "Humans think so _differently_ then anything else... Empathy is just... _So_-"

"Do you really remember being with other hosts?" Lightning stares out at the inverted sky, leaning back on her heels. "Or does your species just keep certain memories over each generation?"

One merely shrugs. "I don't know for sure, but I know for a fact that they aren't yours." She reaches out to summon another memory, one with the viewpoint of a small, scampering creature. "This one was so fearful... I didn't like it at all." The perspective shifts, and suddenly the bright, gleaming eyes of a jaguar stare back at them, alongside a snarl. "But _this_ one..."

Lightning nods. "The same one from before?" She gazes deep into the strong, yellow eyes, slightly tinged by flecks of orange. "I can see why you'd like it."

One's spikes bristle, and her fingers twitch. "It was so _powerful..._ But also... Simple?" She turns back to look at Lightning. "You know... Eat, sleep... Basic things, day in and day out." One's shoulders start to sag, and after a moment, she shifts down into human form. "There's _never_ been another like you... At least, not that I can remember."

Lightning closes her eyes, but when she opens them, One appears to have left the dream. "Do you wish you could go back?"

One whispers. "No... Never."

* * *

Sleek, lengthy stripes flicker in and out along the flowing surface, but all she can do is watch, watch and _wait_, staring at the lines of black and orange as they dance just out of sight.

"You've _always_ been like this." Five stands upright, balancing on a single foot, but she maintains a complete sense of stillness within the twisting, gnarled vines. "You're so caught up with the little things... It's almost interesting to watch."

Fang leans forward, and she sinks her claws into the soft, silken fabric. "Almost?"

Five's eyes flash in place, and for a moment, Fang can see only orange. "If it didn't _kill_ you in the process."

Fang's claws retract, glinting in the shade. "_You_ talk in circles, you know." She inhales the scent of copper and incense, and her lungs inflate, sending her down, _down_, flat on her back. "One minute you couldn't give a _damn_ about me, and the next you want to help, somehow..." She exhales, breathing out a cloud of fluttering shadows, which start to sink away, quickly disappearing into the murk. "So, what's it gonna be? You feel up to talking straight with me, or not?"

"I can't... Not until you're ready." Five begins to meld back into the darkness, and her spikes raise up, curling away. "We're too caught up together; _you_ have to untie the knots before I can let go."

Fang's voice bubbles up from the void, nearly lost in the fading wind. "'Let go?'"

Five only lets out a chuckle as she seeps down into the dream, slowly bleeding away.

* * *

A quiet scrabbling sounded off along the forest floor, all while a thick, bushy tail flickered in place, bobbing within the darkness.

With a quiet chirp, the squirrel scampered forward, and it began to cram its mouth full of a strange, aromatic substance, the likes of which would cling to both its whiskers and face, dulling its senses to an almost non-existent state.

After a moment, the squirrel moved back to lick at its fingers, but then a sudden, massive force struck the ground behind it, and before the creature could so much as whirl around, a set of long, sharp teeth sank deep within its body, drawing out a quiet gush of blood.

With a low, rumbling snarl, the teeth parted to let the rodent fall back to the earth, but they snapped it up just as quick, rending and tearing at its soft, bushy hide, until even its bones began to disappear, snapped and broken in half for the nutrients within.

Vanille's tail flicked to the side, brushing down against the dry, forest floor, until she was finally, completely sated, able to sluggishly walk back to the edge of the forest.

"Are you-?" The voice paused, lowering to a whisper. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Huh?" Vanille could only inhale, and as she leaned to the side, she had to reach out and brace herself against a nearby tree. "Oh, that _was_ good, but now I feel all dizzy..."

"Sit down?" Four materialized beside her with wide, trembling eyes. "Please?! Don't fall over on me..."

Vanille lowered herself to a crouch, breathing slow. "Man, _whatever_ that does..." She clutched at her head with a whimper. "It's like... Breaking loose, somehow?"

Four lowered her ears, and she sank down as well. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Vanille reached up to rub at the side of her head, accidentally smearing blood within her hair. "If anything, _I_ was too giddy today; it just felt..."

"It's okay." After a moment, Four shook her head. "We can both get a little out of hand, I guess." She moved to crouch beside Vanille. "Let's just go home?"

With a tiny hiccup, and a slow nod, Vanille rose to her feet. "Need a nap."

Four crept alongside her, hidden within the grass. "Vanille, it's probably already past midnight..."

"Oh?" Vanille moved to rub at her eyes, her claws curling along her palm. "We'd better get home, then."

With a quiet sigh, Four faded into thin air, but her presence lingered, drifting back to both the image of strategically placed peanut butter, and the snared, ravaged squirrel.

* * *

Long, square tiles jut out from beneath the waving, liquid surface, and for a moment, Hope is reminded of a city skyline, before a slim, quiet creature leaps up to perch atop the highest peak, staring down at him with a tilted, curious gaze.

Three leans back, relaxing after a moment. "Have you ever... Felt so strongly about something, that it starts to become all you can think about?" His voice barely louder than a whisper, but the sound echoes around the soft, blue dream, casting long shadows across the tablet-like formations. "There's something _hidden_ to us, and I don't think that I can rest until I know what it is."

Hope steps forward, moving carefully onto a small, bobbing tile. "What sort of 'something'?"

Three's ears flatten back, and for the first time that Hope can recall, he snarls. "I don't _know_." He suddenly leaps down, gracefully pushing off from each of the slow, drifting tiles. "Bits of solid, the physical type of material... That, _and_ words, all mixed up together!" Three suddenly slashes out at the flickering surface to draw out a wide, whispering gap. "Lies and promises, but it's all so _jumbled_..."

Hope moves up beside him, gazing down into the gentle, shining abyss. "You said you have memories... Of your own?"

Three nods. "Water, _words_, numbers..." He closes his eyes, and his claws start to sink beneath the trembling surface. "But which are false? Some of them _sound_ right, but there's something... Just something?" Three's mind flickers back to the image of a fallen, dying human, as well as the set of teeth locked firmly around his neck. "The first, _she_ knows... She's looked death in the eye before."

"Lightning?" Hope kneels down beside the wavering edge, still staring into the deep, shifting gash. "What does she have to do with this?"

"She doesn't." Three hisses through his teeth. "But she_ does?_ See, it's all so confusing..."

"I can believe it." Hope slowly lowers his feet into the water, and his back claws begin to twitch. "But I think that you need to stop _over_-thinking this."

Three lowers down to his stomach, tracing patterns with his claws just above the surface. "All I can _do_ is think... I don't have much agency anymore... I lost-" His eyes shoot open, and his gaze flickers away, until he is left with only a wide, shimmering strand of memory. "I lost... _What?_"

"Three? What did you lose?" He can barely even hear Hope's voice. "Hey, are you still there?!"

Three begins to relax against the sudden onslaught, reflexively allowing the torrents to carry him along, sliding deeper into the dream. "No... Go back to sleep." His fingers soon drift apart from his hands, and his claws barely shift against the endless stretch of blues and greens, quickly surrounding him in darkness. "I'll be fine. I just need to _remember_..."

Hope's voice falls silent, but Three circles back, fading into himself, scouring his mind for any trace of coherent thought.

* * *

Rain rattled down against the darkened, foggy window, and as Lightning slid open her eyes, her pupils dilated at the sound of thunder.

"Light..?" Fang mumbled as the warmth suddenly left her side, but she quieted when Odin moved to curl up in her hands, purring against her skin.

"Sorry, Fang." Within the doorway, Lightning looked back over her shoulder. "I just need a minute to think..." After passing silently through the hallway, and into the next room, she took note of the front desk, which sat nearly empty, save for a single figure. "Hey."

Basu looked up from a pile of papers. "Hello there." He began to smile at her, but he winced as a bright, encompassing flash seared from behind the windows. "Nasty weather, isn't it?"

"A storm." Lightning turned to face the glass, and she stepped forward, standing directly beside the door. "I was fifteen...When I realized it."

Basu frowned at her back. "Hmm?"

With a quiet breath, Lightning watched as the window before her flared up with fog. "I was someone else... I needed a new name." Another flash of light illuminated her entire field of vision, and she moved to place her fingers against the chill of the glass. "Claire was dead."

A deafening rumble shook the translucent sheet, and Lightning snapped, leaping forward with a sharp, quick intake of breath, until the rain was hammering down against her skin, the wind billowing out over her shifting, changing face, and she ran, simply _ran_, only slowing to breathe in the scent of ozone and water, filling her lungs as deeply as she could.

"What the heck are you _doing?!_" Basu gripped at the side of the doorway, and he struggled to even keep his footing beneath the torrential sheets of rain. "Hey! Are you even-?!" He paused as a sudden, dark streak tore through his line of vision, and his eyes widened at the massive, leaping creature that quickly disappeared into the storm. "_Damn_..."

After a long, lingering moment, a quiet mewl broke the relative silence, and Basu looked over to see a tiny kitten perched atop his desk, who was gazing out at the flickering horizon.

"Hey there, kitty..." Basu sighed, and he moved to wrestle with the wild, open door. "They'll be back soon, right?" After he had pushed the door shut, he reached up to brush away some of the rain from his face, shaking his head. "I don't mean to be sexist, but it's probably just a girl thing."

Odin tilted his head to the side.

Basu waved him off. "Yeah, yeah... I know." He trudged back behind the desk, and he sat down with a sigh. "Hey, you wanna play some cards?"

Odin moved to lick at his paws.

Basu chuckled. "Didn't think so."

* * *

As she pelted off across the windswept plain, Lightning mused that in any other situation, she would have to consider herself quarry, but as her long, clawed feet touched down against the thick, softened earth, the shadow at her back was only a constant, solid comfort; Fang matched her pace with ease, never falling too far behind, and yet she never felt need to advance, not until Lightning herself had slowed to a halt.

With a low murmur, Lightning made the effort to rise in place, illuminated by the flashing, violent force of nature that seared off into the plains, and she bristled as a pillar of brightness touched down mere inches from her line of vision.

Fang stood off in the distance, listening silently to the rain, until she stepped forward with a quiet snort. "So... What the _hell_ are we doing out here?"

Lightning lifted her head to stare at the falling liquid, and she leaned back on her long, bestial legs. "I just needed to see it again." She held out her arms, shivering at the sound of thunder. "Needed to... _Feel_ it, after so damn long..."

Fang moved forward in silence, before she began to speak in a low, rumbling tone. "So you run out in the middle of a hurricane?!" She suddenly let out a sharp, yet familiar laugh as she shook her head back and forth. "You are the _craziest_ woman I've ever met, Light..."

Lightning let her eyes fall shut, and she kept completely still, even as a pair of strong, encompassing arms moved to pull her backwards, cradling her close.

"_Completely_ crazy... But I wouldn't trade it for anything." Fang soon rested her chin at the top of Lightning's head, and her words rumbled deep in her throat. "You silly, wonderful woman."

With a small shiver, Lightning opened her eyes. "When we-" She blinked away the rain from her eyelashes, pressing back against Fang's neck. "When we were _wild_, I nearly forgot myself."

Fang let out a long sigh, before she closed her eyes. "I know." She pulled Lightning closer, turning them both in place. "But you _found_ us, you know."

Lightning nodded. "I was _still_ lost..." She exhaled as Fang nuzzled against the top of her head, rubbing down with her cheek. "I didn't- Didn't really know _who_ I was, not until I was ready to change."

Fang breathed out into her hair, before she tried to inhale Lightning's scent, but it had already been tinged with the distinct taste of rain. "How so?"

Lightning shivered. "I had to let go."

Fang's eyes slid open. "Of..?"

"Serah? Control?" Lightning voice's fell to a whisper, and she was barely audible over the rain. "I was like a parent, really... I just had to let her grow up."

After a long, quiet moment, Fang nodded, before she began to ease back from the embrace. "Let's get back inside, alright?"

Lightning tipped her head up as Fang led her along, and she found that she could only stare into the cold, torrential rain, before she closed her eyes, finding a unique sort solace in the loud, pattering droplets as they struck down upon her carapace.

* * *

The fence let out a groan as it was slowly, carefully pushed open, before a set of muted footsteps moved out into the wide, grassy yard.

Anima narrowed her eyes at the rough, overgrown lot. "This had better not be a waste of my time..."

"Really?" Jihl's voice crackled out from the device at Anima's ear. "Why the hell would I waste phone privileges on _you?_ Just get in there and dig it up."

"I simply have trouble understanding the notion of _burying_ such information..." Anima sighed as she hefted a shovel over her shoulder. "Did you _really_ keep so many secrets from me? For a while, I thought that we were sharing all we knew."

"First rule when you get arrested..." Jihl chuckled. "Always keep a few bargaining chips on standby."

Anima rolled her eyes. "Fine. Beneath the willow, you said?"

"Yes, so get digging."

The spade sank down into the earth with a quiet crunch, and Anima glanced around at the fenced-in field. "Is this even public property?"

"Well, unless the man who owns the place has finally realized that I _wasn't_ his 'long lost relative from many ages past', you should be fine." Jihl paused for a moment. "If you see him, just tell him you're _me_... He might actually be crazy enough to believe it."

"How in the world did you even _find-?_" Anima shook her head. "How deep is it buried?"

"Just a foot or two... But do you _really_ need me to hold your hand, here? It's not as if I threw it into the ocean."

With a muffled crack, the handle of shovel creaked at it hit down against something. "One moment..." Anima grit her teeth, kneeling down to unearth a slim, yet heavy wooden trunk. "Are all of the documents in here?"

"Should be... I doubt that anyone tampered with it over the years." Jihl let out a sigh. "Now, if you don't _mind_, I have a poker game to attend."

Anima closed her eyes. "Take care of yourself."

With a sharp laugh, Jihl's voice began to fade. "Same to you."

* * *

As the rain trickled down against the wide, curtained windows, a soft, low light filtered out into the room, signaling a lapse in the constant cover of clouds.

Fang opened her eyes to stare up from the bunk, only to find that a head of pink hair was resting just by her neck, the owner of which had pressed herself up close beside her companion, silently slumbering on beneath the dim, morning light.

"Hmm..." Lightning began to murmur under her breath, before she reached out for something at her front, drawing the soft, slumbering kitten to rest closer against her chest.

"Light?" Fang reached over to circle her waist, nudging at the back of Lightning's head with her lips. "Hey... How long were we sleeping?"

Lightning only shrugged, breathing in deep, steady breaths.

Fang rolled her eyes. "Such a help, love..." She turned to gaze at the windowsill, before she blinked, easing back. "We probably slept through the night."

With a nod, Lightning rolled herself over to press against Fang's chest, still murmuring quietly to herself.

"Are you even awake?" Fang let out a huff, but she soon found herself moving her arms around Lightning's back, and she leaned in to graze her lips over a strand of soft, pink hair. "Well, it's your own damn fault for running around in the rain."

Lightning slid open a single eye, before it fell shut once more with a belabored sigh. "Don't need a lecture..."

Fang chuckled to herself. "Alright." She began to press a series short, gentle kisses along the side of Lightning's head, soon brushing down against her ear. "Think we should get moving? Or have you gotten addicted to cuddling?"

Lightning scoffed. "Shush..."

Fang nipped at the edge of Lightning's ear, gently biting down. "Missy, Oerba Yun Fang doesn't just _'shush'.._." She smirked when Lightning began to squirm, attempting to tug herself free.

"Fang!" Lightning hissed under her breath, and she slowly reached up to dig her fingernails into Fang's shoulders. "Cut it out..."

Fang eased her teeth away after a moment, and she leaned back to stare into Lightning's bleary, orange irises. "Wait a moment..." Fang traced her fingertips just beneath Lightning's eyelashes, gazing deep into the colors that lay before her. "You've got... Little flecks of blue."

Lightning inhaled a sharp, yet quiet breath, struggling to regain her waking state. "Are you _sure_ its not just..?"

Fang leaned in so that their noses nearly touched, before she spoke in a low murmur. "Nope, little flecks."

After a moment of silence, Lightning blinked, and she slowly rose up into a sitting position. "I'll have to check a mirror, next time I see one..." She reached over to caress the side of Odin's face, and the kitten purred, leaning down into her hand.

"He's really taken a liking to you..." Fang leaned back on her elbows, propping herself up against the pillow. "Let's just hope that the kids don't try to steal him for themselves."

Lightning's lips began to twitch, slowly forming a smile. "Hmm." She took the kitten into her hands, holding him up to eye level. "I don't think he'd really mind that..."

Odin let out a short, quiet mew, and his paws moved out to push at the air beside him, nearly brushing against Lightning's nose.

Fang grinned. "I think that as long as you keep feeding him, he won't leave your side."

With a nod, Lightning set Odin down on her lap. "If the rain's already stopped, we should get moving."

Fang nodded as well. "Say our goodbyes, then get back on the road..." She rose up with a mighty stretch, but when Odin hopped over to her lap, she laughed, reaching down to caress at his ears. "Good kitty."

It was only later that Lightning would think back to such a sight; the hardened, muscular Yun who spared so much of her time for a softer creature, and the image lingered in the back of Lightning's mind as she watched Fang accept a long, heartfelt hug from her childhood friend, a man who would have most likely been set out on an entirely different path, had Fang not taken such a defining role in his lifestyle.

"The both of you, stay _safe_, okay?" Basu clapped at Fang's shoulder as she leaned back from the hug. "No running into any more storms; I _mean_ it!"

Fang nodded with a lazy grin. "Promise."

Lightning tipped her head to the side. "Hey, thanks for letting us wait out the rain in there." She moved forward to shake his hand. "And good luck."

Basu smiled at her, accepting the gesture. "Same to you." He nearly let out a gasp as her fingers moved back, slowly easing out into long, slender claws. "Man, you guys weren't kidding!"

A moment passed by in silence, and soon, a pair of towering, streamlined creatures stood before him, each sporting an elongated set of horns.

"Take care, Basu." Fang waved at him with a quick wink, curling her clawed fingertips upon her palm. "Stay out of trouble, now."

"Will do!" Basu grinned, and he cupped his hands to call out as they took off into the grass. "If you're ever back down in this neck of the woods, come on over and say hello!"

For a moment, Basu feared that his words had been lost to the wind, but after a quick rustle within the field, a tall, dark figure rose up from the grass, waving back at him from a distance.

"Good luck, little Yun..." Basu closed his eyes, before he slowly turned away, leaning against the side of the building. "And thank you for everything."

* * *

A sea of slim, rounded shadows bobbed back and forth against the darkened liquid, seemingly rocking in time with the set of bare feet that balanced beside the edge.

"Are you sure about this?" Hope took in a deep breath, and his eyes fell shut as his silver carapace bloomed out over his chest, forcing his clothes to swell, and finally tear. "I haven't been swimming in years..."

"I'm sure." Three's voice remained quiet in his mind, only somewhat audible over the gentle rustling of the reeds beside the lake. "And I have another idea... Just hold your breath until I tell you, okay?"

Hope hissed as his spine creaked and burned, finally extending to give way for his tail to take shape. "Okay, just give me a sec..." He choked for a moment, before his hands rose up in the air as short, yet deadly claws slid out from beneath his fingernails, glinting with his own blood. "Haven't shifted in ages, either."

"I know." Four kept silent until Hope's transformation had finished, before he began to speak again. "I'm getting... 'Flashes', of something like memories... Things under the water."

Hope took a shaky move forward, hovering just above the pond. "Ready?"

"Ready."

His eardrums fell almost completely, utterly silent, and for a moment, all that Hope could hear was the short rush of air and the blood hammering in his head, before his body smacked down against the thick, wavering surface, and he quickly began to sink beneath the dark, murky waves.

_Just __hold__ it..._ Three's presence moved to encircle him, rumbling within his veins. _Let me take control for a moment._

Hope's jaw clenched, but he held his breath as tight as he could, before an odd, prickling sensation shot up his legs and tail, causing each limb to twist, knocking together, until he could scarcely tell the difference between them.

_I remember it, now! I could swim for... For days! We were all there, all of my- _Three paused, and Hope nearly flailed when his tail twisted and detached, floating off into the darkness. _Hey, hey! Just trust me, Hope! Stay calm._

_What the hell are you even doing?! _Hope reached up to cover his mouth with his hands, digging his claws against the carapace of his face. _You'd better have a __damn__ good reason for-_

_There! Swim forward._

_Are you insane..?! _Hope's vision began to blur, and for a just single, fleeting moment, a sleek, dark shadow flit across the edge of his thoughts, blurring in with the images of both darkened fields of moss, and a blue, wobbling surface.

_Hope... Just __swim__._

His waist began to move automatically, and Hope's mind could barely register as his legs, no- His _tail_, propelled him forward, pushing him even deeper into the shadows, until he rose, bursting back to the surface with a sharp, burning gasp.


	21. Chapter 21

Droplets of rain streaked down through a thick layer of mist, touching down in a constant pattern against both the ground, the grass, as well as the various inhabitants within, who would stare up at the clouds with narrow, weathered eyes.

"If this could _just_ let up..." Lightning shivered in place, and her spikes rustled quietly at her back. "How long do you think it's going to go for?"

Fang sighed from up ahead, standing upright on her back legs. "If it's a tropical storm, we could be looking at _days_..." She inhaled, tasting the scent of water and grass, before she lowered down once more to all fours. "Let's just go a little bit farther; see if we can find any shelter."

Lightning moved forward with a nod, simultaneously blinking away the rain. "How far would you say we've gone today?" She glanced around to find a seemingly endless plain of wild grass, but after a moment of search, she could make out the faint, tiny outline of a man-made structure on the horizon. "See that?"

Fang stood up again, peering out over the field. "A town?" She began to move forward, passing quietly within the grass. "Let's get a bit closer."

Lightning followed after her, and for a short while, they traveled in silence, but a tiny, nagging thought tickled at the back of Lightning's mind, so after a moment, she decided to speak her mind. "I think that I understand what you mean about luck."

Fang looked over her shoulder, before she braced herself for a strong bout of wind. "Yeah?"

"I mean, I've just been thinking a lot about the past few days." Lightning paused for a moment, both to collect her thoughts, and also to shiver away from the long, chilling breeze. "After we left Oerba, if you hadn't kissed me in out that field, we might never have met that couple and gone up to see Paddra... And then we might never have heard that story in the first place."

Fang slowed a bit, and her ears twitched back and forth.

"And even after all of that, if I had never stepped into that snare..." Lightning almost winced at the memory. "We might have passed right by Yaschas, and I wouldn't have a kitten with me right now." She reached over to gently tap at the side of her bag. "And you might not have ever seen your friend again."

Fang slowed to a stop, before she began to hold up her arms, slowly moving the points of her claws together. "You ever heard of the butterfly effect?"

Lightning nodded, and she paused to watch the way that each droplet of rain trickled down Fang's face.

"It's all tied up together... Everything" Fang let her hands fall to her sides, before she turned back to face the distant outline of the dark, weathered buildings. "For better or worse, little things like that can leave a big impact on the rest of the world."

Lightning would have smiled, had her lips been shifted, so instead, she moved forward, standing direly beside Fang. "I'm not sure how much I really believe in it..." Lightning paused, before she tipped her head back to stare into the rain. "How much I believe in _anything_; but I know that some things just feel right."

Fang merely nodded.

"Does someone even _need_ to believe in something to feel it?" Lightning looked back at the horizon. "When I was younger, Serah and I had this one neighbor family..." She began to walk forward, staring out at the tiny, yet sprawling town that only seemed to grow as they ventured closer. "I think they could tell what our situation was like, without even asking... They'd take us with them to church every weekend."

"And... You went along with that?" Fang tilted her head to the side. "Didn't really scope you for the religious type."

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "If there _are_ any deities out there, they didn't intend for a perfect world." She suddenly shook her head with a quiet laugh in her chest. "Or they _did_, and screwed it up royally."

Fang laughed a little as well. "What was it like, then?"

Lightning thought back for a moment. "Well, when I wasn't bored out of my mind, I was just happy to see Serah get a free lunch out of the ordeal." She moved to peer out over the field again. "Money was almost always tight, and going to visit a peaceful place with free food at the end? I couldn't really let my personal feelings take the forefront on that one."

"What sort of religion was it, then?" Fang slowed her pace to a gentle stride. "We didn't really have much of anything organized when I was growing up, but most of the elders believed in spirits, so we'd sometimes act like they could listen."

Lightning took a deep breath. "There were twin gods, life and death... Bhunivelze and Etro." She looked back over her shoulder. "Light, dark, all of that kind of stuff; Bhunivelze supposedly created the world without the help of his twin, but to maintain balance, she had to die, just so that things down on the earth could, too." Lightning pointed at the sky. "They think that her temple is on the moon."

"And Bhunivelze?" Fang chuckled a bit. "Where's he gotten off to?"

Lightning looked up at the dark, rolling clouds. "The sun."

Fang followed Lightning's gaze, before she looked back down at the fields around them. "Somehow I think you're more rational than that."

Lightning nodded. "It was an interesting story, but it was... _Just_ a story, really." She moved forward, pushing through the grass. "Just like the rest of them."

"So Serah went with you?" Fang cleared her throat with a quick shiver, jostling slightly beneath the heavy rain. "She does seem a little more like the type..."

Lightning shrugged. "We didn't talk about it much, but she did seem happy there."

Fang suddenly slowed her pace to gaze up at the framework of several worn, crumbling buildings. "Just another ruin..." She rose up to her back legs, staring out at the town. "Looked like it might've been inhabited from a distance..."

Lightning stood up as well. "That one has a roof at least." She pointed at a tall, stone building with her claws. "Some of the ones behind it do, too."

Fang looked over, before she nodded. "Let's get out of this rain..." With a tiny sigh, Fang leapt out from the grass, landing quietly against a worn, cobblestone path. "I doubt that we'll find anyone in here."

Lightning moved out from the field with a nod. "This was probably just a farming town... With all the flat land around, what else could they do?" She glanced over to see a fallen fencepost, long since tangled up with several barbed, rusty wires. "We aren't close enough to the coast for fishing, so they would've had to reply on livestock or crops." Lightning walked up to follow after Fang. "I wonder why they'd settle down without a river nearby..."

Fang shrugged. "Makes you wonder why it was abandoned..." She looked away to see the cracked, fallen remains of a water-tower. "Maybe we can look into what it was when we get back."

Lightning paused as they walked up before the towering, stony building. "Hey... Look at the symbol." She pointed up at a large, stained-glass window. "This is a church."

Fang looked up to see a circular image; the glass itself had mostly faded with age, but the metal panes within still depicted a pale, almost unearthly woman. She faced the right, holding her arm out behind her, which was intertwined with the strong, dark fingers of a man; his body was haloed in sunlight as he looked to the left.

"Their mother... Her name was Mwynn." Lightning moved to stand beneath a low, stone overhang, before she began to shake out the rain from her hair. "But when she refused to act, Bhunivelze supposedly overthrew her rule to take hold of the universe... Before she died, Mwynn realized that without _something_ to keep him under control, he'd eventually destroy everything that he could ever create... None of it was perfect enough for him."

Fang moved beside her, listening in silence.

"So then, Etro, in Mwynn's very image, moved to watch over the earth as Bhunivelze created it." Lightning paused to sit down on a nearby bench, which rested just beside a set of grand, iron doors. "She kept watch from the moon, and once Bhunivelze had finished, he left, so Etro decided to look out for all of the souls that he'd abandoned; she took care of them... Even in death."

"It's... A nice sentiment." Fang's ears twitched once, shaking away the droplets of rain upon them. "So they went their separate ways, then?"

After a moment, Lightning stood up, before she moved over to trace her claws along the edge of the dark door. "Eclipses were said to be holy." Her fingers soon tightened against a smooth, curved handle. "It was supposed to be the only time that the two deities could be completely at peace with each other."

"What about the rest of it?" Fang paused to listen as the door hinges creaked, groaning after years of neglect. "Sounds like unfinished business if you ask me."

Lightning shrugged, before she yanked back, easing the door open with just a slight flurry of dust. "Most stories have holes in them..." With a quiet, muffled sneeze, Lightning moved forward, and her clawed feet touched down gently against the dry, musty floor. "I guess they just need enough for people to hold on to."

Fang stepped in after her, but she couldn't help but stare up at the wide, yet simple altar; another rounded symbol lay at the very top, carved deep into the stone. She looked upon two similar hands, their fingers intertwined, both facing away, and Fang's eyes widened by a tiny degree.

Lightning moved to sit down beside a weathered, crumbling platform, which sported a large, unusual instrument in the center. "They used to play music on certain days." She closed her eyes to think back, focusing on the tone of each low, reverberating note. "I think that Serah said it was her favorite part..."

Fang sat down as well. "Suppose this one would be too old to play..."

Lightning glanced up at both the dilapidated levers and keys. "Definitely." She soon leaned back against a nearby wall, but her ears twitched when something rustled from within her satchel. "Hey, kitty."

Odin looked back at her with a blank gaze, and he tilted his head at her voice.

"Oh." Lightning reached up to poke at her horns. "It's still me, just a little different."

After a moment of silent staring, Odin let out a tiny chirp, before he clambered out from the woven bag, scurrying down to swipe at her toes.

"Silly little cat..." Fang chuckled as Odin leapt over to perch on Lightning's foot, gnawing at her long, curved claws.

"At least he's not afraid..." Lightning examined Odin's exploits for a moment, before she tried to tug her foot away, to which the kitten merely gave chase, nipping along the curve of her claw. "Hey, you wouldn't like it if I chewed at _your_ feet..." She reached over to pick up Odin, rolling her eyes as he started to chew on her fingers. "You're just lucky I'm kitten-proof."

Odin stared up at her with his teeth clamped gently around her thumb.

"So, what's the story behind him?" Fang reached over to stroke the fur behind Odin's ears. "You said that Odin was some sort of knight, didn't you?"

Lightning nodded. "Orion, Odin... Both had the same kind of story, really." She set the kitten down on her lap, but he had soon scampered away to peer around at the empty halls. "He was just a victim of circumstance, trying to turn a bad situation into something better."

The kitten crept over to hide beneath one of the pews, twitching his whiskers back and forth.

"The three stars... The hunter's belt, that was his legacy." Lightning took a deep breath. "I can't remember the entire thing just by memory, but he was only an adventurer at first, before he realized that Cocoon needed at least a few dedicated people to look after it, so he founded a system of protectors, or at the time, knights."

Fang closed her eyes part-way. "Is that why you were going to become a cop?"

Lightning didn't react at first, but after a moment, she turned to face Fang. "I don't think it was a conscious thing." She began to close her eyes as well, slowly leaning back against the brick wall. "I just wanted to... Give something back, once our life was stable."

"Well, you would've been a good one..." Fang let out a quiet yawn, before she leaned forward, stretching out her legs. "I'm gonna check around a little in here, see what sort of supplies they might've left behind."

Lightning watched as Fang stood up. "It's a church."

Fang tilted her head to the side.

After a moment, Lightning shrugged. "I guess it doesn't matter... If they left it, it's fair game."

Fang chuckled. "Survival of the fittest." She turned to face the rows and rows of benches, before a tiny, white patch of fluff caught her gaze. "Odin? What're you getting into..."

The little kitten only scampered along beneath one of the pews, silently crouching once he had reached the edge of the pathway.

"See something interesting?" Fang leaned over to watch as Odin's tail wiggled in place, before he crept forward, stalking along the edge of the next row of benches.

"What's he doing?" Lightning leaned up to peer over the pews.

Fang's nostrils suddenly twitched, and slowly, she fought back a laugh. "What a _good_ little hunter..." She stepped back, watching as Odin crawled his way along the dusty floor. "Gonna get that mouse, are you?"

Odin's ears twitched at the sound of scrabbling claws and feet, before he lowered himself as flat as he could, listening intently to the quiet vibrations that echoed out from just around the side of the altar.

"I'd bet he learned that from his mother..." Fang quietly stepped to the side, but she still kept her gaze on Odin's progress. "When I was little, we'd sometimes have cats that hung around the village, but they would hardly ever ask for handouts... They'd hide their kittens inside of our things, sure, but they'd almost _always_ bring back their own prey to eat."

Lightning leaned over to watch as Odin crept into sight, before she noticed the tiny, gray creature scuffling along the edge of the room itself. "How did cats survive a place like that in the first place?" Her breath caught as the mouse nearly turned in Odin's direction, but to his credit, the kitten kept completely still, completely honed in on his quarry.

"Well..." Fang leaned over to rummage through a nearby storage bin. "Certain cats, even domesticated ones... Let's just say they can get a bit bigger down in Gran Pulse."

Lightning bit back a sharp sound as Odin leapt forth, almost catching his claws against the mouse's fuzzy hide, but the rodent immediately raced off into the church, disappearing into a gap behind the stony base of the altar.

"Ah, bad luck, little guy..." Fang knelt down to click her tongue at the sagging kitten. "C'mere."

After a moment, Odin slumped over to sit beside Fang's hand, before he let out a tiny mewl, pressing back into her palm.

"Don't worry, there'll always be another mouse or two out there." Fang glanced over her shoulder with a low chuckle. "Hey, maybe Lightning can show you a trick or two..."

"With a mouse? Hardly." Lightning let out a sigh, stretching out her arms. "Something like that wouldn't even be worth the time to track..."

With a short huff, Fang returned to her side, standing with a roll of blankets beneath one arm and the kitten in her other, to which she dumped the fabric upon Lightning's lap. "You're supposed to be _supportive_ of his endeavors."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "He's a cat, not a child."

Fang soon held the little kitten up in front of Lightning's face. "I don't think _he_ can tell the difference."

After a moment, Lightning reached up to accept Odin into her hands. "You really want a hunting lesson?" She watched as Odin moved to nibble along her claws again. "Or is auntie Fang just full of bull-"

Fang cleared her throat. "Oi! Let's get some more rest in before the rain lets up." She moved to tug some of the blankets over them both, resting back against the wall. "I know that we don't really need the warmth, but..."

After a moment, Lightning leaned forward. "I have a better idea."

* * *

Pale fingertips tapped down against the darkened leather, slowly parting, before they moved back together once more and held fast. "I still don't know what really happened..."

Nora looked out over the sprawling, colorful city, although she couldn't help but stare at her son's fingers as they shifted and curled, quickly moving out to display a thin, almost translucent sheet of skin between them. "So this... _Voice_, that you describe..."

Hope nodded, flicking his fingers back together. "Three. Subject Three, that was our..." He inhaled, envisioning both the fire in his lungs and the pressure at his head. "That's what they _called_ us, but Three is separate, you know?"

Nora adjusted her grip of the steering wheel, before she glanced up to see the highway ahead. "So how did you learn to do this?"

Hope watched as the blood trembled beneath his skin, before a soft, silvery shell slipped out from beneath his fingernails, moving out to cover his very hand itself. "Not me, Three... He remembered something, and then he was able to change how it worked."

Nora glanced at the short, curved claws as they rose to the surface of Hope's fingertips. "Hey, not in the car, Hope."

With a nod, his nails retracted. "Sorry, it's just _amazing_ what they can-" Hope paused, staring out at the glittering lights of the city. "I need to talk with Anima as soon as possible; she's never said _anything_ about possible mutations, or inherited memories..." He leaned back, drumming his fingers against his knee. "But it was incredible just how _fast_ it happened; one moment I thought my tail was gone, but then my legs were helping me get up out of there."

A low voice sounded from the back of his mind. _They were together, one limb. We were... Actually swimming._

Nora turned the car as the lights above flickered, and she slowly looked down to see the city below, once they had entered the highway. "I agree, you should talk with her before you try it again." Nora glanced over at Hope. "If this _is_ safe for you to keep experimenting with, I have no problem with it, but you need to keep in mind that there might be an unseen risk to this... I'm not knowledgeable enough on the topic to advise you one way or another, though."

Hope nodded. "I'll be careful." He closed his eyes, envisioning the way his breath swirled within his chest, before it slowly pushed itself out to his throat, nearly bubbling over his tongue. "But this _feels_ right, somehow."

With a slow sigh, Nora nodded as well. "Just take it _slow_."

Hope's eyelids twitched, and beneath them, he caught sight of the darkened image once more, slipping just out of sight, before it faded away into the murky blue.

* * *

The rain had slowed to a quiet drizzle, and Fang's ears swiveled in place as she stared up at the high, curving roof, but as her gaze moved to track the wide, wooden beams that kept the platform aloft, a certain, unfamiliar sound caught her attention. "...Light?"

Lightning lay in slumber against the layered blankets, and with Odin snuggled at her neck, Fang could barely hear the muffled sounds within her throat, but after a moment, Lightning shifted in her sleep to lay flat on her back.

"Light..." Fang rolled over to look at her, curled up within the wide nest of blankets. "What's gotten into you?"

Although Lightning slept on, a quiet sound soon left her mouth; it was a tune that Fang could scarcely recognize, and yet it soothed something inside of her, some part that only music could hope to reach.

"Serah once mentioned... You _could_ sing if the mood struck you." Fang closed her eyes, focusing deeply upon the whispering sound. "But you seem _so_..." She trailed off. "I really don't know how to describe it."

With a purr, Odin stretched himself out over the blanket, before he moved to cuddle against Lightning's hands.

Fang let out a yawn as she closed her eyes. "I don't think I'll ever completely understand you, Light... But it's okay." She reached over to brush away the hair from Lightning's forehead. "There's nothing wrong with a little mystery."

After a while, the tune slowed, and Lightning unconsciously stirred in her sleep, before she mumbled, turning over to nuzzle at Fang's neck.

Fang nearly chuckled. "Love you too."

* * *

"Please show it to me."

Lightning materializes, squinting into the mist. "Show what?"

"How you were... After everything happened."

Lightning moves back to stare at the wide, expanding field of stars. "I... Still felt like me." She steps forward, navigating between each tiny speckle of fire beside her feet. "Change doesn't always happen so fast, you know? Sometimes you just wake up, realizing that you've been different for a long time."

"You believed in it, once."

Lightning frowns. "I was a child."

"You _still_ believed that there was something out there... Something that made sense."

"Well... I supposed I did." Lightning looks down to find a field of gray, sparkling dust beneath her, but as she gazes back up, her duplicate stares back. "Just what do you want me to say, then? That I wanted to _believe_ there was a reason? That they didn't die for nothing?"

Slowly, One rises, and her carapace moves with her, splintering slightly at the sides. "That they're still waiting."

Lightning swallows back a low, mournful sound. "Things don't really work like that... You should know."

"Is anything really so definite?" One stands, and her skin soon shifts to gold. "Change is the only constant, and you know it."

With a shrug, Lightning watches as the dust around her begins to swirl, and as it rises up beside them, she nearly finds herself smiling at the way One stares off into the distance. "If I knew that we would always get so philosophical in here, I might not have been so keen on sharing dreams..."

Slowly, One tilts her head. "Humor. It's one thing no other species has quite the same grasp on." She closes her eyes, breathing deep. "You laugh when you're around her."

Lightning raises her chin. "Fang."

One nods. "I think that she needs your help, more than she lets on."

"How so?"

One turns, facing the world of dust, before she touches down with a quiet thump, walking forward on all fours. "She's hiding something, keeping a secret... Not a bad one, but it's there."

Lightning moves to follow her.

"What's the _one_ thing she's only ever done around you?"

Lightning pauses to think, but she stays close to her counterpart as they walk throughout the shimmering field. "Fang is... Very brave, but for her, it's more of an outward thing." Lightning looks up at the pale, shifting sky. "She could take on the world itself... But I think there's something inside that slows her down."

One looks up as well. "She _trusts_ you... She let you see it when you needed it the most."

Lightning's ears perk up as a tiny speck of liquid hits the dry, withered surface. "She... Cried."

"_Yes_." One turns to face her, gazing down at the dust. "She didn't _cry_ when she turned, and she didn't even cry when we thought you'd lost control..." One breathes, before she crumples, fading out. "She only cried when she thought that she would lose you."

"She's..." Lightning swallows, and her claws sink deep into the ground. "She's not one to mourn."

"And neither are you."

With a slow, quiet inhale, Lightning turns back up. "And I'm hardly one to joke."

"But she makes you laugh."

Her jaws twitch, and her lip curls, until her sharp, pointed canines glint in the low, swirling light. "That, she does."

* * *

A strong wind tumbled down against the empty road, but it did little to deter the tiny kitten that scrambled his way across it, hurriedly chasing after a stray piece of grass that fluttered across the long, dirt path.

"Odin, don't run too far!" Fang let out a sigh as the kitten flopped down into the field, batting at anything and everything he could see. "Hey, Lightning will kick my ass if you get lost out there..."

Odin merely chirped at her in response, before he leapt back to his feet, darting around in a small patch of wild flowers.

Fang rolled her eyes. "Just finish your business so we can get back on the road..." She turned to look up at the tall, pointed building. "If Light's awake yet, that is."

Odin's pupils dilated as he spotted a round, shiny insect.

"I'm just glad _we_ don't have to worry about bathroom breaks..." Fang flicked her tail aside with a quiet chuckle. "I suppose we don't have to worry about a lot of things, now that I think about it."

"Thrilling conversation."

Fang nearly jumped at the voice, before she turned around to gently whack Lightning's shoulder. "Hey, don't sneak up on me like that..." She chuckled, leaning back. "Odin was getting a little antsy, so I figured he might've wanted to go out."

Lightning reached over to pass Fang's satchel back to her. "We should get moving before the rain picks up again." She looked down at her own, woven bag. "Good thing these are pretty water-resistant..."

Fang nodded. "The stuff inside might get a bit damp, but at least it keeps most of the rain out." She walked over to stand beside Odin. "Ready to go, kiddo?"

Odin looked up at Fang with a beetle clamped in his teeth, before he rose up to his hind legs, reaching for her hands with his paws.

"Good kitty!" Fang let Odin clamber up and over her arms, and she watched as his claws clung to her carapace, holding tight. "Maybe when he gets a little bigger, he can ride on your shoulders..."

Lightning reached over to pet behind Odin's ears. "We'll have to see."

Odin let out a quiet yawn, allowing the beetle to fall from his mouth, and it quickly skittered away into the grass.

"See?" Fang adjusted her arm slightly. "He'll be one heck of a mouser before you know it..."

Lightning closed her eyes, tilting her head with a soft laugh. "I trust you."

Fang's train of thought made an abrupt pause, before she slowly laughed as well, reaching out to pull Lightning close. "You ready to get going? Maybe we can find another town by nightfall... One with a little more life, eh?"

Lightning nodded against Fang's neck. "I'd like that."

With Odin snuggled back within her satchel, Lightning turned to stare out over the town behind them, and while her gaze did catch upon a certain building, it was with great ease that she ran off into the grass, racing out to wherever her ears would lead her.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, haven't updated in ages, been mostly too busy/unmotivated.

There _is_ a link in my profile to the beginnings of that original story I was talking about earlier, though... Let's just say that it's been taking up a lot of my free time, lately.


	22. Chapter 22

She could hear them, each feathery strand of grass brushing up against the sides of her face. Her limbs, they slightly tensed, steadily navigating the terrain with ease, but when something suddenly darted out from beneath her, she paused, and her ears went flat against her head.

Odin scampered around in circles, trotting against the dry, dusty earth as if Lightning wasn't even trying to conceal their presence.

"_Hey_." She whispered it under her breath, and waited until the kitten had finally turned to face her. "And here I thought you _wanted_ to learn this..."

Odin ran back to her side with a tiny, chirping mew.

Lightning slowly picked him up, and held him closer to her face. "If you want to me get us some dinner, you've gotta be _quiet_, okay?"

The little kitten started to rub his head against her neck.

Slowly, Lightning set him down again, beside her hands, claws pressed against the ground. It suddenly occurred to her that Odin might be a bit more receptive to something other than her human voice, so with a gradual shift of her vocal muscles, she began to click quietly, before she sank down into a lower crouch.

Odin's ears twitched at the noise, before he slowly copied the motion, stumbling only a little when he did so.

Lightning started off at once, and her tail moved back and forth, while Odin hurried on beside her, crouched down as well.

They moved together, throughout the sprawling grassland, and then between the tiny dips and ridges that formed low hills, and even ravines, but those were still easy enough to cross.

Odin lifted his head to sniff at the air around him, while his ears kept swiveling back and forth.

Lightning paused, and then she began to click again, only at a pitch that she had learned wouldn't startle any nearby creatures, although it was clear enough for Odin to pick up.

He turned to stare at her with wide, olive eyes, waiting for her to move.

She inhaled, and flared her nostrils to pick up any possible waft of scent, no matter how distant, until she caught the somewhat familiar taste of something small, yet substantial. It was a low scent, purposefully subtle, but if it had been tracked before, it was almost impossible to mistake.

Lightning moved on, while Odin kept up, as silently as he could.

They passed through a dry riverbed, one which still had several old stones in the bottom, from days long before. Many other scents drifted in and out of the tiny spaces, though the little hiding spots tucked snugly between the rocks, though none of them were nearly as fresh as the one that Lightning had chosen.

It wound around, across the rocky terrain, in, out and over each nook and cranny, until the trail itself finally led to a shallow indentation in the earth, and then it went on again, back up into the fields.

Lightning lowered the pitch of her clicks, so much that Odin could scarcely hear it.

It was a rather short walk up the dusty incline, but when they had approached the very top of it, Lightning suddenly crouched down even further, so much that her belly almost touched against the ground. Odin followed suit, while his little tail began to witch back and forth, barely containing the bound up energy within his limbs.

Lightning glanced down at him with the edge of her vision, but the rest of it had quickly honed in on the distant, rustling grass. Her ears, primed and swiveling, soon picked up sound of flat, crushing teeth, working the stalks of some sort of indigenous plant, or perhaps some sort of seed pod. She could hear each of the fibers being stripped away, and it almost felt similar to the way it sounded when she herself was pulling back muscular tissue, though the meal in question was quite different.

Odin looked around, between Lightning and the patch of grass ahead of them, before he lowered his ears and nudged at her arm with his head.

It was patience she was keen to reach, nudging back at him with the side of her wrist. She kept herself completely still, until the distant sounds grew in volume, and the rustle of chewing became almost obvious.

It was only then, that she moved.

Her feet touched down on the earth with barely a sound; each and every step she took was in time with the long, waving grass. She slipped between each pattern of the gusting wind, blending in with the very rhythm of the grass, of the very field itself, until her quarry was almost within sight.

Odin's whiskers began to bristle, but he kept up with her pace, almost hugging himself against Lightning's front arm.

Her teeth were pale, almost invisible beneath the half-moon. They were sharp, yet silent things, deadly if she so much as wished, and in that moment, she had no greater will than for them to sink down into the soft, fuzzy hide of a rather large jackrabbit.

She could see the each of them, the long ears, the flat teeth that were working the base of a rather grass shoot, drawing out the moisture with a small, pink tongue.

Odin tensed beneath her.

Lightning paused, but only for a moment, yet that moment alone was enough to gaze out at the dewy eyes, at the tawny creature within the grass, one with such large ears, twitching off in her direction-

The beasts was off in a flash, though not nearly fast enough to avoid such wide, outstretched claws. Though it twisted itself in place, battering at her carapace with its long, clawed feet, it couldn't even let out a ragged cry before her teeth had flared out, bearing down into its small, gasping throat, deep into their mark.

The hare went limp, dangling in her jaws, and Lightning's spine bristled, quills aloft. She felt a sharp surge, the rush of blood in her veins that was coursing out within her, coaxing a low, primal sound from deep within her chest.

Odin's eyes went even wider, and his pupils dilated in time with Lightning's own, but he simply kept crouching in the grass, watching for what she was about to do.

It rumbled, echoing throughout her throat, while a thin trail of blood started to trickle down, over her chin, though her teeth refused to go slack. She held it, waiting for as long as she possibly could beneath the onslaught of rapid-fire chemical reactions. Lightning savored it, the way her mind was steadily creeping backwards, towards a far smaller, deeper place, a world without the things humanity might think normal. The realm of physical sensation alone, the simple, base urge to snap something between her teeth, if only to keep herself alive for another long day.

But there was something softer, something else within that place, the knowledge that her individuality was only just that, and that there were others she was known to run with; when she finally found the will to look away, off to the side, to meet Odin's gaze... The sudden, roaring surge of familial instinct was almost too much to bear.

She sank down to her stomach, and let the hare fall against the earth.

Odin took a single pace forward, but he only ran over to her side once she had clicked at him again. He jumped about, between her arms, then stood up on his hind legs to lap at the blood on her chin, cleaning it dutifully.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, the human side was grimacing at the sensation, having never even cared for such open affection from any other pet, though outwardly, she did nothing to stop him.

The hare still lay between her arms, beside where Odin was trying to keep himself from falling, and Lightning's gaze drifted down to it. She began to examine the creature with a clear sense of detachment, but there was still some part of her that knew the hare had been something closer to herself than she might care for, had been something quite sentient, and that part of her gave a silent, yet heartfelt _'thanks'._

Back beside her chin, Odin let out a tiny mewl, before he toppled back down to his feet, sitting just between her arms.

She felt her throat twinge and ache a bit, but she merely began to click at him with a rhythm, in a low, soothing way.

The little kitten flopped over to snuggle himself against her arm, and he started to purr, twitching his ears back and forth.

Lightning slowly reached over to take him into her hand, and then both hands, before she lifted him up, towards her shoulders.

Odin mewled again, reaching up without hesitation. His tiny claws gripped at the curve of her carapace, but then he suddenly jumped for her head, to climb up towards the curve of one of her horns.

Lightning moved up to her feet, slowly, and glanced at Odin. He was clinging onto her horn, almost as if it were the crook of a tree branch, with his front legs hugged around it.

She lowered herself to take the hare back between her teeth, before she rose up, creeping off into the grassland.

* * *

"Snow, we're gonna be _late!_" Serah was calling out from beneath the overhang of a small, brickwork building. Her fingertips clutched at the handle of an umbrella, which kept the gentle rain from pattering down on her head.

"Coming!" He soon ran up from the sidewalk, tugging the hood of his jacket over his head to keep it out from the rain, which proved a bit difficult with his horns. "Sorry! Just thought I saw something."

"Something?" With a tiny smile, Serah reached up to adjust the collar of Snow's shirt, fixing away the wrinkles. "We're going to _dinner_, Snow... Nothing to scout out, you know."

He gave a quick kiss to the top of her head. "Can never be too careful." Snow smiled down at her, offering his arm. "And everyone's always a little late to these... You know how it goes."

Serah giggled quietly, but she took his arm, allowing herself to be led down the cobblestone pathway, towards the soft, warm glow of the little restaurant.

"They're probably already _here_..."

"Nah."

Serah rolled her eyes. "Should we have gotten reservations? It was _so_ crowded last time..."

"If we can't get our table, there's a decent place down by the river; I just found out about it last week."

"What's it have?"

Snow thought back to the wide, riverfront building with tables from front to back, and then to the outdoor seating, which almost came right up to the water itself. "Sandwiches, the fancy kind." He soon reached for the front door, and when he pushed it open, the air felt just as warm as it had looked from outside.

They were surrounded by smell of handmade dough, fresh tomatoes and wheat, and several different spices began to swirl together all around them.

Snow closed his eyes for a moment. "But man, nothing beats this place..."

Serah smiled from beside him. "I know what you mean."

There was a familiar voice when they walked in side. "Hey!"

Both Serah and Snow both looked over, stepping out into the little entryway of the restaurant, only to see that Vanille was already waving at them from their usual table, a large corner booth in the back.

"Oh, Serah!" Vanille giggled and stood up to hug her gently, before she gestured for them both to sit down with her. "Just look at you."

Serah kept smiling while she carefully sat down. "I know, I know..." She moved to take her usual spot on the booth beside Snow, while Vanille flopped down on one of the chairs beside the table. "How have you _been?_ It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Vanille nodded with a grin. "Work's real busy, but that's not too out of the ordinary." She pushed some of the menus across the table. "But, I got a call from _Fang!_"

Serah beamed at her. "I had a feeling you might have... Lightning called us just a couple of days ago."

Snow idly reached for a the menu. "We'd better figure out how to explain Light's room."

Serah glanced down at the table. "That... Might be a little awkward." She took a slow, steady breath. "But we _just_ don't have another room big enough for the kids... I know Light doesn't mind sleeping on a couch, but if she and Fang want a room to themselves to sleep in-"

"Oh!" Vanille sat up a bit straighter. "They could stay in my place for a bit! It's got a spare room... Maybe a little on the small side, but I don't think they'd mind it much." She smiled at them, before her gaze went slightly distant. "Our first apartment was so _tiny_... We used to call it the shoe-box, before everything happened."

Snow glanced over at the curly horns on Vanille's head, and he almost tried to look up at his own.

Serah tried not to frown. "But the place you have now, it's been nice?" She looked up to see an approaching waitress.

The woman glanced between each them. "Usual drinks?"

They all nodded.

After a moment, Vanille leaned back in her chair. "It's been more than enough; me and Bhakti don't take up a whole lot of space." She reached up to twirl a strand of her hair between her fingertips. "Oh! Forgot to mention, Nora called earlier; she and Hope are gonna come join us tonight."

Both Serah and Snow's expressions were lifted; it had been at least over half a year since they had last seen Hope.

"Man, I wonder how he's been doing over there..." Snow's mind drifted back to the goodbyes, the different stride that Hope had taken as he walked down the front path, into his father's car, to be driven off to the university. "I mean, kiddo's real bright, so I bet he's fine, but..."

"It has been a while." Serah smiled at the fizzy glass placed before her, and she watched Snow and Vanille when they were given drinks of their own.

The waitress didn't even reach for the pad of paper in the pocket of her apron. "Just the usuals? How many do we have tonight?"

Serah looked over at the empty seats of the table, and then back towards her two companions, who both nodded at her. "Yes, everyone as usual, but we'll have a few more people to account for."

The waitress walked off with a brief nod."I'll get it started."

Snow leaned back, and waited until they were relatively alone again. "It's always nice... She doesn't stare."

Vanille smiled at him. "Hardly anyone at the cafe gives me a second glance anymore."

"I always forget!" Serah suddenly reached up to tug at one of Snow's horns with a quiet laugh, and he rolled his eyes at her. "They're so _normal_ now, you know? I just kinda look over them."

"Wonder if there's any way to-" Snow paused, glancing at the both of them. "I mean, I don't really mind it, but it's still a pain to put on a shirt without accidentally putting a hole in it."

Serah took a tiny sip of her drink. "I don't mind stitching them up."

"I know, but..." Snow glanced over at the other tables, at the people without such horns, without orange rings in their eyes, or even anything quiet so _alien_ within their blood, no a foreign entities of any sort. "I just wonder, sometimes... What it would be like without them, again."

Vanille frowned a little. "I think they look okay."

"It's not that they don't look okay." Snow reached up to scratch at his chin, trying to find the right words. "It's more... More how people react to them, you know? How things might be different."

"They're special, though." Vanille slowly started to smile. "I just don't think that it would be right... They're what makes us... _Us._"

* * *

Dark, pointed spines brushed against her back, beneath the strong, gusting wind at the very top of the hill. Her eyes tracked the movement, far, far above, the wispy clouds that were running fast beneath the open sky, hurried on by the air itself.

Fang stood upright, on her hind legs, while she dug her back claws into the earth, felt the headwind blowing strong against her face, and then felt the light, scattered trickle of rain left over from the storm.

The plains were quite far from the coast itself, of course the weather traveled fast and far over the grassland, and then on towards the distant mountain range, and even the great desert beyond.

It had been a hurricane she dreamed of, and she though back to the only one she had ever witnessed firsthand. Though it had been as a human, one without the barrier of carapace, or even sharp teeth, nor claws to keep her safe from nature itself.

She knew it had been a wild thing, one with almost a will of its own, howling off into darkness, even when she held Vanille close to her, beneath the shelter of a wide, towering tree.

Yet, like all things, despite the constant hammer of rain, or the wind that threatened to rip her very body apart, or even the very sound of it all, the shriek in her ears, promising that she might very well never see the sun again-

It had _ended_. It all eventually ended, and the world had steadily grown silent again, until they felt safe enough to speak once more.

She had once promised something, beforehand, something that she had only broken beneath that rain.

Vanille had been sprinting, she remembered, hot on the trail of a small, adolescent antelope, with only a length of makeshift rope to keep it contained.

The voice still echoed in her ears."Fang, keep up!"

"You got it, Van?!" Fang had kept her spear aloft, ready to hurl it forward at only a moment's notice, but her heart suddenly lurched when Vanille toppled to the side with a tiny shout, caught against the root of a tree.

"Vanille!" Fang rushed to her side, abandoning the quarry, before she down beside her to see the swelling bruise, the flushed injury along her ankle. "Van... Come here, we'll head back."

"No, you've got to-" Vanille winced when she tried to stand, still glancing around wildly at where the antelope had disappeared into the trees. "We've _got_ to-"

"No." Fang lifted Vanille up with ease. "You're hurt."

"I'm-" Vanille grimaced at the throbbing pain in her ankle, and the scrapes along the skin of her leg. "Fang, we _lost_ it..."

"It's alright." Fang held her close, against her chest. "We've got enough for now."

"No..." Vanille frowned against Fang's shoulder. "We don't _really_, do we? Not for long."

"Don't worry about that." Fang kept the haft her spear braced against her free shoulder, holding the tiny frame of Vanille up with her other arm. "I'll find us something, okay? Just don't worry."

Vanille, still a great deal younger than she might have liked, scrunched up her nose with a frown. "Ugh... I'll only not worry if _you_ promise me something."

Fang started to climb over a fallen log. "...And what's that?"

"You can't worry about _me_, either!" Vanille began listening to the sound of her necklaces moving against each other, jingling quietly. "I'm serious, Fang... You always worry so much, ever since I was little."

"You're still little."

"Not nearly as much!"

Fang slowly felt the unease in her chest begin to unravel, and as she walked on, each breath in her lungs started to flow a bit easier. "Well, you're _still_ little... Maybe you're not sick anymore, but I still worry."

"_Well_." Vanille looked down at her ankle. "Not anymore, okay? I didn't even cry! Kids cry when they get hurt, but _I'm_ not crying, am I?"

"You shouted."

"_Everyone_ shouts when they get hurt!" Vanille scowled a bit. "Even you."

"Guess so..." Fang glanced over at the tiny indent within the nearby ridge, the makeshift shelter they had been using for several days. "That might be a hard promise to keep."

"I bet you can do it!" Vanille tried to smile when she was set down against her blanket, one she had woven herself. "Okay, whenever you start to worry, just try to remember this, okay? 'No more worrying over Vanille! She's tough too, ya know!'"

Fang began to smile, then, broadly. "Alright... But _you've_ gotta keep up your end of the bargain." She gently poked at Vanille's forehead. "No more running wild like that! You have to watch your surroundings, okay? Even a sprained ankle takes time to heal..."

Vanille slowly started to nod. "Okay."

She thought back to the look in her eyes, both the sense of admiration and silent resolve, as if they had made a lifelong pact in only a moment's time.

And yet, it felt as though they did.

Fang, beneath the rain, knelt down within the field, and she thought back to the rapid change in temperature, the oncoming storm that forced them to flee to deeper forest, denser terrain...

She remembered wishing that they had met each other sooner, while she held a shivering Vanille against herself, so that it wouldn't feel like they would lose each other quite so swiftly.

Yet, the storm had eventually passed, Vanille wasn't gone, hadn't been swept away in the night... Still sat solidly beside her.

A distant rustle in the grass drew her back to the present, and Fang's ears perked up. "Light?"

She was answered in only a moment, by the face of Lightning herself, who had the body of a hare clamped between her teeth.

"Light." Fang rose up and moved to meet her, in the middle of the hill. "Look at you, Odin!"

Odin jumped down from Lightning's head, racing over to rub himself against Fang's wrist.

"Hey buddy..." Fang gently began to scratch behind his ears with only the bluntest part of her claws. "Did Light take my advice, eh?"

The hare was soon set down against the earth, but Lightning herself still gazed off into the distance, drawing short, shallow breaths.

"Hey..." Fang moved up beside her, though as slowly as she could, for she recognized the look in Lightning's eyes. "...Been a little while, hasn't it? You feeling any better?"

Lightning inhaled, and after a long moment, began to speak. "Yeah."

"C'mere..." Fang sat down, waiting. "I know that feeling... Just gets deep inside you, doesn't it? Won't let go."

It was a long while before Lightning finally turned, facing Fang with a far different look, hiding whatever had been there before. "I'm... I'm alright." Her voice was still a bit hoarse, and deep, rumbling clicks echoed after every word. "Just got... Too far into it."

"Hmm." Fang quietly purred when Lightning crept over onto her lap, snuggling up against her, beneath her chin. "Did Odin behave?"

Lightning pressed her cheek against Fang's neck, burying herself in that warm scent, so far from the dizzying sensation of fresh, spattered blood, adrenaline, and the swift, silent kill.

"Light?"

She only murmured, breathing deeper.

Stray flecks of rain clung to Fang's hair, and she slowly started to let her eyes fall shut, listening to the quiet drizzle, and then to Odin's little cries, of his attempts to climb up and cuddle with them, too.

"He was just fine." Lightning whispered against the smooth skin of Fang's neck. "He learns fast... Didn't make a sound when I told him to."

Fang chuckled under her breath, reaching down to scoop up the little kitten. "Is that _right?_ A good little listener..." She watched as Odin clambered up her arms, to the very height of her shoulder. "I bet he'll be carrying back his own dinner before too long."

Lightning almost laughed as well, but it was little more than a breathy whisper.

"You getting hungry, buddy?" Fang flicked one of her ears at him, and Odin reached up to bat at it. "Just be glad _you_ aren't a rabbit."

Lightning narrowed her eyes, snarling quietly.

"Just a joke, love..." Fang slowly leaned back and waited for Lightning to sit up on her own. "I doubt you would've taken a bunny along with us, though."

Lightning leaned to the side, over towards the fallen hare, before she reached out for it with one hand. "Definitely not." Her voice was a bit more even, though when she leaned down to tear off the back limb of the creature, her eyes were just as intense. "Odin, he's... Cats are so much more like us."

Fang watched her toss the hind leg over to Odin, who knelt down to sniff at it.

"We _hunt_ the same, mostly." Lightning tore down into the hare, ripping back a decent section, before she held out the rest towards Fang. "Ambush... Kill it fast, you know."

Fang accepted the offered half. "I know."

Lightning bit down, and her teeth sank deep into the belly of the creature. None of their kills were ever wasted, except for bits that tasted too unpalatable, such as stomach contents or certain digestive organs. But the heart, the lungs, everything both muscular or otherwise, none were left behind.

Fang sat down to eat as well, holding her share between her hands. "I was having a look around just now, can't see the highway from here, though." She paused to swallow a bite. "We're definitely headed north... Just not sure what we'll hit first."

"We'll have to see." Lightning glanced over at Odin, who started to copy the way they were eating, by pulling back little chunks of the leg muscle with his teeth. "I wouldn't be opposed to a little sightseeing along the way... We've made good time so far."

Fang licked away the blood from her mouth. "What sort of things would you want to see?"

Lightning shrugged.

"Seriously, Light..." Fang leaned forward a bit. "I mean, isn't that the point of why we came out here? I mean, yeah, it was to get away from everything for a while, but if we aren't having an _awesome_ time while we do it..."

Lightning felt the urge to smile, just beneath her immobile carapace.

"So if there's _anywhere_ you want to go, we'll go."

Lightning looked down at her feet. "We'll, there's... There's once place, if we come near it."

Fang nodded. "Yeah?"

"If we can find the city itself, I'll know exactly where it is." Lightning glanced back over at Fang, and then towards the north, to the sky above the horizon, and finally, to the bright, glittering stars. "It's a bit further inland than we're headed, though."

Fang turned back to her share of the meal, and for a while, they ate in silence, until they were down to the bones themselves, eager to find the marrow within.

The process itself was simple enough, but the skeleton of a hare was rather small, and it proved quite difficult to fish out anything from the broken bones, even when cracked horizontally.

"Fang?"

Fang looked up.

"...You still hungry?" Lightning kept her voice low. "I think there's a stream nearby."

Fang slowly rose up to her feet, away from the discarded skull, picked clean, and the smaller bones, piled together against the hill. "Lead the way."

* * *

"So then, he says-" Noel was gesturing against the table with his hands. "He starts going on, and _on_ about this stuff, something about a distilling plant under the base itself..."

Caius kept his face as straight as ever, but even he had to force back the tiniest hint of a smile, back to wherever it came from.

"Now this guy can barely speak Cocoonic, but that's not stopping him from shouting about it, buzzed off his mind." Noel paused to twirl up a bit of pasta onto his fork. "But, we all understood one word... _Spirits, _they had a whole process going in the basement, I'm talking _liquor_, brandy... Even had some fermented agave in the works."

Caius suddenly had a very distant look in his eyes. "Tequila."

Snow quirked an eyebrow at that. "Wait, you guys were allowed to drink on the job?"

"Well you see..." Noel glanced around at the table, at each of his companions, with a smirk growing over his features. "We _technically_ weren't on active duty, just unofficial recon, mostly, keeping the bases up to code, and also, certain... Information gathering."

Yeul spoke up from her seat at the end of the booth. "The locals weren't all that talkative unless we were getting drunk with them."

"And after a year and a half trekking across that damn desert..." Noel took a deep breath. "It was a _damn_ welcome change of pace, that's all I'll say."

Serah looked up from her plate. "You must've been enlisted when you were young, then."

Noel nodded. "As soon as I turned eighteen, left boot-camp... Got myself shipped off with the rest of them, though I was able to request the same unit as Caius." He began to poke at the edge of his plate. "And Yeul was able to transfer pretty soon after that, but pilots aren't really kept in a whole lot of contact with the ground troops, at least not for daily duties."

"Plus I wasn't on transport..." Yeul bit down on a slice of pizza. "I mean, if they needed an extra hand, I'd lend it, but there isn't much time for chitchat."

Vanille's eyes were wide. "Didn't you mention you were a fighter pilot? That's so cool..."

Yeul smiled a bit. "I don't really look like one, do I?" She glanced down at her diminutive frame, less broad than either of her siblings, though there was a strength to her arms and hands, narrow muscles, primed from near-endless tinkering on the inner mechanisms of an airplane. "Manipulating a first impression like that... It can really help you out in a pinch."

Vanille said nothing in response, but she nodded, pondering the concept over in her head.

"Do you think Hope's almost here?" Serah glanced at the doorway. "If they had to drive all the way from Eden, they might've gotten caught in traffic..."

Snow looked up as well. "Then why don't we order for them, but ask to keep it warm 'til they get here?"

After a moment, Serah nodded. "Then... If they don't make it over, we can just take it home for them." She looked back down at her plate, at the swirling strands of pasta, and the deep red sauce, mixed with fresh, green spices. "They got spaghetti last time, right?"

Vanille nodded. "It's the safest choice, anyway... Almost everybody loves it."

Noel spoke again. "Feels like it's been _ages_ since they were over." He thought for a moment, gazing out over the restaurant. "You think that Fang and Light will ever come with us to these?"

"Oh!" Serah smiled at him. "I forgot to say, they're headed back here!"

Noel smiled back. "Really? From Gran Pulse..."

Snow spoke up. "We looked up the city that they called us from; it's right on the border between there and Cocoon."

"So, it won't be that far..." Noel picked up his fork again. "If they hitch a ride over, even faster."

Yeul leaned back in her seat. "I'd head back and pick them up if I could... If they call again, ask if they can provide the exact coordinates." She glanced over at Serah. "Unless they'd rather take the scenic route."

"I'll definitely ask." Serah glanced up when the front doors of the restaurant swung open, and a broad smile crossed her face. "There. Hey, Hope! Over here!"

He stood in the entryway with rain on his clothes, with a hood tugged up to conceal his head, while his mother began to walk in beside him, holding a folded umbrella in her hand.

"Hey-" Hope almost flinched beneath the sudden onslaught of a hug, but after a moment, he hugged Vanille back just as tight. "I just saw _you_, though."

Vanille stepped back and stuck her tongue out at him. "Doesn't mean you get out of _hugs!_ Now, c'mon!" She waved at Nora while simultaneously dragging her son away with her, towards the back table. "Both of you, we've been waiting!"

Nora laughed quietly, following after them. "You've got quite the group of friends now, Hope."

Hope tugged his hood down with only the slightest hint of a flush. "_Clingy_ friends..."

"Yeah!" Vanille led them down to the seat beside hers, making sure that Hope had actually sat down before she went back to her own. "Look at all this! Much more people than the last few..."

The three siblings, then Snow and Serah, and then Vanille herself, beside Hope and Nora, they were indeed at a greater number than usual.

"School, it's been..." Hope paused to smile back at Serah and Snow, who almost looked as if they were about to jump up and hug him too. "It's been really great, but demanding."

"Sweetie, take your hood off." After a moment, her eyes at the look Hope gave her. "_Hope_, please take your hood off."

Slowly, he reached up to do as she asked, but when he did, the entire table fell quite silent.

It was a long, lingering pause, but when Vanille finally gasped out loud, reaching up to poke against the sleeker, more streamlined horns that split into two, curling down all the way over the back of his head, a sudden rush of questions flew out into the open.

"Is that _supposed_ to-?"

"Hope, how did this happen?!"

"_Wow._"

Hope stared down at his lap. "I've been, uh... I've been doing some experimenting with Three's help." He slowly lifted his hand up, and after glancing to make sure that none of the other tables were paying much attention, slowly let his claws slide out.

"What _is_ that?" Vanille's eyes went even wider, and she inched up beside to him, staring down at the thin, skin-like material that was drifting out from between the carapace on his fingers.

"...I went swimming." Hope watched each digit become linked, and then elongate into longer, sleeker fingers. "Three wanted to take control for a bit, so I let him... And then it _changed_." He looked up and quickly became aware of just how many eyes were staring down at his hand, at the thin, aquatic webbing between his pale, silver fingers.

Finally, Snow spoke. "Kiddo, that's pretty awesome."

Hope felt his eyes widen, and then he began to notice the looks across each of their faces, most somewhere between concern, awe, and then the emotion he had seen so very often on the features of his peers... Discovery.

"Could it be taught?" Caius spoke quietly. "If the very _essence_ of it can change... Just imagine the possibilities."

"Was it _just_ your hands and horns?" Vanille had taken hold of his wrist, gently, before she started to turn his hand over to examine at the sleek, silvery carapace. "Because... Wow!"

"Well, there was... My tail fell off." Hope quickly shook his head at her expression. "It only hurt a little! And then, it was my legs... Well, _they_ changed, too; they came together and made a _new_ tail... A better one."

Nora looked over at him with a soft, yet wary smile. "I think it might be a good idea to keep someone with you when you try these sorts of things..." A mother's thought process couldn't help but turn towards anything and everything that could go wrong in such a situation, although the look on his face, the excitement he had towards the possibilities...

"That's probably a good idea." Hope let his hands drift down to his lap, slowly shifting them back to the way they had been before. "Honestly, it was more than a little scary... I had to hold my breath under there, but once it all happened, it was much easier to not breathe."

Serah reached up to wave over the waitress. "Not to interrupt, but you guys must be hungry, right? It's our turn to pay, so pick whatever you like."

Nora almost started to insist on chipping in, but she thought better of it when she saw the smile on Serah's face.

"Did you guys get stuck in traffic?" Snow watched the rest of his friends move back towards their own meals, but he ignored his own for a moment. "With all that rain..."

"It was a bit difficult, yes." Nora glanced up at the approaching waitress. "But you know, these things... You can always find a way through."

* * *

She stared down, out into the rippling surface, at then over at the moon, reflected back at her from the dark, flowing waters.

Fang stood, tensed, gripping the end of a fallen log, before her hand suddenly shot down to grasp at a small, scaly fish.

Lightning drifted on the other side of the shore, with Odin clinging against her hair. He mewled, wiggling about and fussing once she started to wade into the deeper water, but when she whispered up at him, he grew a bit calmer, and slightly relaxed against her head.

"It's _okay_..." Lightning swam with her face far above the current, breathing deep of the cold, wispy breeze that swirled above the water's surface. "Look, it's not gonna hurt you."

Odin still clung to the top of her head as tightly as he could manage.

"I'm getting us some _fish_, Odin..." Lightning kept her voice low. "I think you'll like fish, but I'll put you back if you want."

He nearly flailed once she had approached the tree that Fang was perched on, and with a short leap, Odin clambered up to sit beside her, far away from the rush of water below.

Lightning soon swerved away, tracking each fluttery movement of the little gray fish, swimming near the bottom, when she had a sudden thought, an inking that led to her down, diving deep beneath the swift, icy current.

Her hair drifted out into the dark, murky space, and her spikes did quite the same, but when she reached out, grasping towards a nearby school of fish-

Lightning froze, stark still, at the curling, unraveling image of something deep, something _far_ in the back of her mind... Burning just at the edge of her vision.

She fought back the urge to inhale a mouthful of water, and merely drifted along for a moment, carried a bit further by the current, before her tail suddenly lashed out, propelling her throughout the inky depths.


	23. Chapter 23

She reached the surface with a soft, shuddering gasp, drenched in the dark, frigid water. It clung to her body, though it was quickly flung in droplets, out into the air.

From a short distance upriver Fang watched the sight in silence, still crouching atop the tree trunk, half-submerged beneath the spray.

Lightning's hind legs still kicked out, working against the current, and it was only a brief moment before she was brought back down, sinking to her neck in water. She turned, slowly, before she disappeared again, far beneath the murky surface.

There was _something_ there, buried deep, down beneath layers and levels of thought; it was the memory of something so very strong, yet sleek, joined with all the rest around it by a long, invisible thread. The image would swerve down, and then to the side, echoing all across the dark surface, until it had left almost countless ripples in its wake.

Lightning her breath as tightly as she could, but after a moment, a short murmur of bubbles fled her mouth, and she was forced to rise up, yet again.

Above the river itself, Odin sat beside Fang, though he was quite thoroughly bristled from all the movement and commotion. His ears were lying flat on his head, and his throat hissed at the water beneath them, although the sound was more than a bit too squeaky to take seriously.

"Now don't get your tail in a twist..." Fang quickly bit down on a tiny, wriggling fish, severing its head from the neck with her teeth. "Nobody's asking _you_ to take a bath."

Odin still kept his ears down, refusing to look away from the water itself.

"It's just a little water, buddy." Fang almost reached to pat Odin's head, but the droplets on her palm made her think twice. "Hm... I think if you tasted one of these, you'd understand." She lowered down again, above the whispering current and the tiny, darting fish that swam underneath. Her claws gripped down into the bark of the tree, dampened by the misty spray, before she slowly reached out, brushing her claws against the river below.

A thin streak of white moved beneath the surface, but it was gone within an instant.

Far below, Lightning's tail flicked back and forth, in time with with each stroke of her hind legs, steering her, _guiding_ her body through the dark, in search of the distant glimmering of fish. The creatures were actually rather small, although they had an ample amount of flesh beneath their scales, which didn't even take into account the quality of flavor.

When Lightning surged forth, snagging one between her teeth, it was all she could do just to surface as fast as she could, to slake away both her aching lungs and the twinging in her stomach. She finally rose, hair soaked to the back of her neck, gripping at the fallen tree with both sets of claws.

"Had a nice swim?" Fang leaned over on the tree, trying to coax Odin back on to it with a half-bitten fish.

Lightning quickly dragged herself up beside Fang, shaking out both her hair and quills.

"Odin, c'mere!" Fang shook the fish back and forth.

Lightning mumbled back at her for a moment, until she reached up to take the fish out from her mouth. "Felt nice to get an actual bath..." With the fish in her hand, she raised it back towards her teeth to bite off a decent section. "Rainwater doesn't quite cut it."

Fang was still facing the shore, towards where Odin had hidden himself beneath the upturned roots of the tree, clinging to the earth they had grown from. "Odin! Here, kitty kitty..."

Lightning ripped off another bite of fish, and she began to savor the delicate, almost sweetened taste of river flesh, untouched by the more briny texture of most ocean fare."Just throw it to him."

"Guess I should..." Fang wound back her arm for a moment, then tossed the piece of fish, where it quickly landed against the grass with a quiet thud. "Doesn't care for water, I guess."

Odin soon approached the offered meal, and he quickly began to scarf it down, tugging the pale meat away from the bones within.

"I don't think most cats like it much." Lightning dropped the remains of her own fish back into the water. "Think this one leads anywhere? The river, I mean."

"Well... They always say that if you get lost, just follow the water." Fang began to stretch out her arms, beneath the gentle moonlight. "And this looks like it flows east, so we'd be going in the right direction, anyway."

Lightning turned to watch the outline of Fang's head, and then the ears beneath her horns, before her gaze drifted to the hair at her back, between each of her lengthy quills. The tones of red were even visible in the dark, most likely aided by the ample glow cast off by the moon.

"...Light?" She suddenly realized that Fang was staring back at her. "You okay?"

Lightning glanced away with a nod. "Just thinking."

Fang leaned forward slightly to rest on all fours. "What about?"

"It's-" Lightning still sat on her hind legs, facing the river below. "It's nothing much, just wondering about us." She slowly began to kick her feet back and forth, and her claws almost touched down against the water itself. "Sometimes... One, sometimes she'll talk about what she can remember, from before everything that happened... Back when she was other things."

Fang blinked, thinking it over for a moment. "What sort of other things..?"

Lightning began to close her eyes. "Well... Things like jaguars, in the forest." She thought back to each little snippet of vision, each brief perspective she had managed to glimpse. "And then a leopard in the grass... There were others, too, but they're mostly things that I'm not sure the right name of."

"And she can _remember_ them..." Fang slowly rolled over on her back, staring up at the sky. "Wonder if Five can do the same."

After a moment, Lightning opened her eyes to watch Odin scamper around in the grass, and she almost wanted to call out for him when he disappeared, ducking down into a tiny gap in the earth, but before long, he reappeared with only a bit of dust on his nose.

"Light? Think we should try reading some more of the memoir?"

Lightning glanced over at the shore, at their folded clothes and the satchels stacked beside them. "Not this close to the water."

Fang yawned, quietly, before she stood up again, stretching. "Somewhere dry, then?"

Lightning nodded, and she began to watch as Fang slunk towards her, and then she closed her eyes when they had become close, close enough to touch.

Fang's voice brushed up against her face. "Your hair... It looks darker like this."

Lightning felt the gentle arms beside her, and then the touch at her side, the warmth from Fang pressing up against her.

"Bit less like a flamingo..."

Lightning snorted softly.

"I can't think of-" Fang began to ease the curls between her fingertips, just along the back of Lightning's neck. "What does it look like, now? Something else."

Lightning shrugged.

"I've missed this... Doing things like this." Fang whispered the words, low in her throat. "_Traveling_, you know? Being alone, somewhere we've never been."

"Not entirely alone..." Lightning slowly opened her eyes, nuzzling against Fang as she walked back over the tree trunk. "We've got Odin."

"Well, he's not the same." Fang followed after her, out and over the base of the tree, past the roots, and then down to the rocky shore. "A cat doesn't care _what_ we do, doesn't watch like a person does." She soon rose back up to her hind legs, staring over at the river, and then to grassland beyond it. "We can goof off _all_ we want, and nobody's gonna care."

Lightning sat down beside their belongings. "...I doubt anyone would confront us over it in the first place."

"Probably not, but..." Fang took a long, deep breath, of the chill wind, and the river flowing on beside them. "I can definitely see why some people like being alone." She turned, facing back towards Lightning. "But still, I start missing everyone back at home more and more..."

"We'll get back." Lightning lifted up Fang's sari, having already draped her own over her shoulders, clipped in place. "We'll get back, and we'll see them again."

Fang reached out to accept the silken garment, brushing her fingertips down over each pattern, each flowing line of color. "Hey, think they'll try to throw us a surprise party?"

Lightning nearly bristled, easing backwards. "They'd _better_ not..."

Fang laughed a bit. "Would it really be so bad? If there's anything else I really, _really_ miss, it's cake and ice-cream."

"That wouldn't be-" Lightning's mind abruptly thought back to the taste of chocolate. "...So bad."

"You just went a little distant, there." Fang reached out to tap at the side of Lightning's shoulder. "Wouldn't be bad at _all_, would it?"

Lightning started off without a word, but she gestured for Fang to follow.

"I'd bet we'll come across an ice-cream place before long."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "We don't have very much money."

"You're just not thinking _big_ enough, Light..." Fang picked up Odin from the ground, despite his half-hearted protests to keep chasing a stray feather in the grass. "Plenty of ways to make money out there, I know firsthand..."

"Yeah, like what?"

"Like, _fixing_ things..." Fang almost winced when Odin began to gnaw on her thumb. "Doing odd jobs, cleaning stuff-" She held out her hand for Lightning's help, but there was no relief in sight for her poor fingertips. "And the best way, once you have some, is to use that money to grow even more... Invest it in things."

"All this, just for ice-cream?"

Fang bit back a yelp when Odin nipped her other hand. "Yes, _ice-cream_, cat food, maybe a _muzzle..!_"

Lightning glanced back over her shoulder. "Why's he biting you?"

Fang held out the kitten with a quick shake of her head. "Just _take_ him?"

Lightning reached out, and Odin soon settled down in her arms, purring quietly.

"Damn..." Fang watched as each of the tiny welts began to recede, although they still stung quite a bit. "Moody little thing, isn't he?"

"I think he was playing with something, and you didn't take it with us."

Fang shook her hands. "Fussy, _fussy_..."

"He's only a kitten." Lightning reached for the satchel at her side, which was hanging from her shoulder. "If he bites you again, just tell him 'no' in a stern voice."

"That's dog logic... Doesn't always work for cats." Fang strode up beside them, watching as Lightning tried to get Odin back down into the woven bag. "You ever wonder why people use spray bottles? _That's_ why."

Lightning narrowed her eyes at the squirming kitten, who simply _refused_ to let her put him in the satchel.

Fang tried not to laugh at the sight, holding her wrist against her mouth. "See, if you teach him how to take care of himself..."

Lightning finally let out a sigh, and held Odin back up against her chest, where he promptly settled down again, if only slightly. "Well, there's more than enough space for him to run around... Maybe burn off some of this energy."

Odin mewled, staring out from her arms, down at the blades of grass they passed, and then at the various little insects, jumping from each strand to the next.

"Where do you think we should-" Fang's paused when her gaze caught on a lone, distant acacia tree. "Sleep, tonight?"

"That looks as good as anything." Lightning turned towards the tree, before she paused through the tall, rustling grass, Odin in her arms. "Bet we could climb it."

"Think we'll fall down if we sleep up there?" Fang stared up into the wide, sprawling branches, and at the way the tree had grown out into two main parts, forming a 'V' shape in the very center. "Those tiny parts should have thorns, but we'll probably be okay in the lower branches."

Lightning kept quiet for a while, walking across the field. "...I used to take naps in the trees, back when I was a kid."

Fang followed after her, silently.

"Not in stuff like pines, I mean." Lightning hugged Odin a little bit tighter. "Those sort, they don't work... But oak trees, maple, or anything with the right branches." She paused to crane her head back, staring up into the thorny twigs, at the branches which spread out to shade the ground from the moonlight, although she could still see hundreds, upon hundreds of stars from between the leaves.

She felt Fang's hand brush against her shoulder. "After you."

Lightning looked down at Odin, who merely stared back at her for a moment, before he finally went limp, letting her set him down into the satchel. She backed up so that she could make a swift, running start, scrabbling up the tree, sinking her claws into the bark.

Fang immediately followed suit, and her own claws dug down deep, until she was able to haul herself towards the upper trunk, high above the grass below, up into the midnight breeze.

"It's taller than it looks..." Lightning clung to the center of the trunk, and she marveled at the size of the odd indent between the main parts of the tree, the twin branches that were thicker than her own body, even shifted as it was. "I don't think we'll have to worry about falling out."

It was an old, nest-like perch, likely used by some sort of large wild animal, and it looked to have been smoothed down by years and years of repeated use, but when Lightning paused to breathe deep, searching for any hint of recent scent, there was nothing beside the smell of an occasional, distant insect pheromone, or perhaps a few nomadic rodents.

"_Wow_." Fang leapt up to the opposite branch, before she let herself drop down a bit, right into the crook of the tree, where she was able to lay down without either her arms, nor her legs dangling off the side. "Try this out, Light!"

Lightning crept up along the trunk, clambering beside Fang, only to flop down slightly on top of her, slightly to the side, although there was enough room to keep herself from dangling, too.

"Bet it used to be a leopard's, or something like that..." Fang began to stare up, gazing at the stars from between each winding branch, before she moved her arm, winding beneath where Lightning lay to draw her close. "Take a look up there."

Lightning followed her gaze, and she soon caught sight of the pale, distant moon, hidden behind the leaves.

Fang watched the night sky for a moment, but when something rustled, coming from within in Lightning's satchel, she turned to look at it, and saw that Odin was peeking out. "I wonder if he'd be able to climb these..." She gestured at the branches, mostly tilted horizontal, with some stretching upward at the very end. "Just not the thorny parts."

"Well, he's old enough to keep his balance, but-" Lightning held her breath when Odin suddenly darted out and away, up into the leaves. "...It's gonna make me worry all night if he doesn't come back down."

Fang felt her thoughts drift off for a moment, back to a memory, to something close. "Sometimes worrying does more harm than good." She nuzzled herself up against Lightning's hair, which was still a bit damp from her time in the river. "I mean, the kind of worry you get when someone's... Being adventurous."

Lightning took a steadying breath. "I do try not to." She watched as Odin chased after a lone, hopping insect, along the length of a rather wide branch. "It's a little easier these days, but..."

Fang began to nod against her neck. "I made a promise, a real long time ago-" She felt the inside of her fingertips twinge, and then the curve of her claws began to bend, receding into only a fine, powdery dust. "That I'd never worry about Vanille, not in that way... She made me promise it."

Lightning could feel Fang's face grow softer and smaller against her, growing more human with every passing second.

"And after a long while, it just became second nature." Fang soon reached to pull her sari against herself, clipping it in place. "When it was all happening, back then and there... I _knew_ we weren't getting out of it, and Vanille knew it too." She slowly sat upright, and her hair cascaded over her shoulders, spikes falling away, into dust. "But, when I first talked to you... There was this _power_ in your voice, like you could really make it happen if you wanted to."

Lightning squeezed her eyes shut. "I couldn't."

"But you _thought_ you could." Fang traced her fingertips over Lightning's face, across her carapace, until it slowly began to shudder under her touch. "...Shift back for me, Light?"

Lightning nodded, nearly breathless. "Okay."

"That's it..." Fang watched the crease of her shell, of the white, pearly carapace crumbling in place, to reveal the woman beyond it, seemingly grown from almost nothing at all. "The tree looks even bigger, now."

Lightning couldn't help but agree when she lay there, just a few feet shorter in height, having lost quite a bit of the previous length of her legs. They were human now, with one knee, and without a single claw in sight.

"Been a while, hasn't it?" Fang kissed against the top of her head, at the soft, pink locks upon on. "More than a few days since we got Odin... Even more since Paddra."

Lightning pressed herself down into the warmth of Fang's skin, whispering along the side of her face. "I do miss this."

Fang smiled, and she couldn't help but stare at the way Lightning's sari did little to conceal her body, having not been clipped against her shoulders, or even down by her stomach. "You're real lucky it's warmer out than before..."

"It's still cold."

Fang pulled Lightning close. "Well... What happened to, 'I'm not doing _anything_ under a tree'...?" She smiled away into the dark, at the way Lightning's sudden shift in expression felt against her cheek. "Is the _top_ of a tree really any different?"

Lightning flushed slightly, and fought the urge make her voice snap. "...There were _people,_ back there."

"Hardly anyone up in those parts."

Lightning shook her head back and forth. "That's the difference... I don't like being watched, or even the possibility of someone seeing us." She felt Fang begin to play with the part of the sari upon her shoulders. "And kissing, that's just different... People can do that out in the open, but anything else-"

Fang murmured into her ear. "There's nobody around for miles."

Lightning felt the gathering blood in her veins, the shared heat between them, those slender fingertips, dancing along her spine. "I know, it's-" She slowly opened her eyes to see Fang, staring back at her with a brightness she had only seen on rare occasions. "Fang... Would you do something, for me?"

Fang gave her a half-nod. "And what's that?"

Lightning felt her stomach twinge. "...Give me your sari."

Fang quirked her eyebrows at such a request, but slowly, she reached u[p for the clips and unwound it from around her body, so that she was resting upon only the bark and dust, exposed against the night itself.

"Now lay on your back?"

Fang kissed her first, nipping along her bottom lip. "What've you got in mind..?"

Lightning glanced over to where Odin was playing with a stray leaf, far, far above them. "Just be glad he doesn't care."

"What do you-" Fang shuddered at the sudden, airy kisses, pressed down against the top of her stomach, and then gently nuzzled over the softness of her skin. "Light..?"

Lightning had draped her own red sari around herself, while the other with blue fabric, the one Fang had been wearing, that one covered them both, to conceal the tiny bites that she was dragging against Fang's skin.

Fang squeezed her eyes shut, and she began to breathe deep, though she could still feel every little prick and tickle of Lightning's breath and teeth, nipping down across her stomach, and then upward, between her breasts.

"Light..." Fang reached down, slowly, to squeeze at Lightning's shoulders. "C'mere."

Lightning moved up with the silk at her back, shadowing her face in dark red, and her lower body in a deep, rich blue. She shivered at each touch between them, the hands that gripped her shoulders, and then her sides, then down to her hips.

Fang stared back into her gaze, only for a moment, before she moved to brush her lips against Lightning's cheek, grazing her teeth across the warm, flushed skin. "This okay?" She squeezed at the curve of Lightning's waist, massaging it as best she could.

Lightning nodded with a shallow draw of breath, and she slowly tilted her head. Her blood was gathering, growing quicker and hotter within her veins, until she could barely stand the pressure in her belly, so she stole a deep, longing kiss, murmuring and breathless.

Fang smiled into the gesture, and she tilted herself up so that Lightning was still atop her hips, covered by both of their saris, though firmly settled against her lap.

Lightning felt Fang's tongue brush out, touching against her own, so she parted her mouth a bit wider, searching for the sharpened canines she knew so very well.

"_Light-_"

Lightning ignored the strain, the tone in such a pleading, breathy voice, and moved to drag her tongue over Fang's own teeth, feeling the sharp edge, and the warmth of her mouth, the steadily tightening knot just below her stomach-

Fang almost gasped at the pressure when Lightning sank forward, angling further down, and then the unhidden heat, the gathering friction between their legs, the way Lightning was panting into her mouth, forced to inhale sharply through her nose-

Fang reached up to tangle her fingers into Lightning's hair, kissing her deeply, more fully, until she could practically swallow each little whimper, each sweltering breath, pressing her fingertips down as gently as she could.

Lightning swore her blood was at a boil, or that her skin had suddenly come alight, and that her bones would simply crumble away, trembling in place.

Fang let out a sharp snarl, deeply, and dragged one of her hands away from Lightning's hair, down to her lower stomach, pressing her fingers over each curve of muscle, tracing down, deep into her hip.

Lightning gasped into the kiss, and Fang bucked against her, wrapping her legs around the back of Lightning's calves.

"_Fang_-" She could barely speak without letting her voice tremble, but Fang was insistent, slicking her tongue against Lightning's own set of canines.

"Yeah?" Fang murmured it, before she pulled away, clamping down, claiming the very softest part of her neck.

Lightning couldn't hold it back in time, she simply cried out with a long shudder, clutching down on Fang's back until the finally teeth began to loosen, and her tongue soothed out across the red, tiny welt.

"Mhm..." Fang slowly began to purr, and then shifted her legs so that there was slightly less pressure on Lightning's waist. "What were you saying?"

Lightning gasped into Fan;s shoulder, nuzzling down as much as she could, but the thrumming in her blood just wouldn't quit, and even when their hips touched, pressed together, she just couldn't find the words.

"Tell me what you want."

Lightning squeezed her eyes shut as tight as she possibly could. "_Touch_ me..."

"And where might you want that?" Fang traced over the curve of her spine. "I'm no mind-reader, but..."

Lightning bit back a whimper and shivered, bracing the top of her forehead against Fang's neck.

"...Is this good?"

Lightning felt the words die in her throat.

Fang's thumb traced over and around her clit, while her index finger slipped further down, steadily massaging deeper. "Difficult to say, but..." She smiled as Lightning jolted, breathing even faster than before. "You always seem to like this."

Lightning could barely manage a nod, and her lower belly thrummed on harder, and she couldn't help but buck down again, into the length of Fang's strong fingers.

"Shh..." Fang smoothed her free hand, over Lightning's back, beneath the cover of their clothing. "Let me take care of it, okay? Turn over."

Lighting opened her eyes, almost as if to question the request, but when she moved back to look into Fang's eyes, she almost melted on the spot. She let herself be maneuvered, although she did murmur, groaning in protest when Fang tugged her hand away.

"Just a moment..." Fang smiled, smoothing both of her legs over either side of Lightning's thighs, until she was firmly atop her lap, pressed up against the swell of her chest. "_Now_-"

Lightning exhaled at the sudden, deep, _familiar_ touch, and even though she could no longer bury her face in Fang's neck, she could feel each breath billow against her, until she was staring up at the distant stars, suddenly reminded of just how open it all was.

"...Relax."

Lightning felt Fang's other hand wrap out and around her belly, holding her even close, though she had to bite down on a sharp, whimpering cry when Fang suddenly thrust against her, driving her fingertip over the slickened bit of flesh within, rubbing down against it without pause.

"_Fang-!_" Her voice nearly shattered, and her body writhed, squirming, although Fang's arm kept her rather still.

Fang groaned beneath her, and slowly moved to whisper against her ear. "Yes, love?"

Lighting opened her mouth to inhale, breathless again, and her face went fully flush, fluttering her eyes shut, before her spine arched out, and then the very peak, the dark, soaring blood that screamed in her veins, begging, _pleading_ with her own racing mind to finally, _finally_ release-

She felt her vision blur, and then Fang's fingertip pressed in, and the sudden pressure, it was all too close, all much for her to bear. Lightning's voice broke with a cry, melting, collapsing down as the heat within her unraveled with a blinding, searing speed, until she was fully, _utterly_ taken, sweltering beneath it.

Fang pressed her mouth to Lightning's ear. "I... _Love_ you."

Lightning cried out with a long shiver, bucking, trembling against the fingers that were still pressing in, unrelenting.

"...And I don't care who knows it."

She felt her eyes suddenly well up, covered with something, yet the wracking waves of chemical release, so completely liberating, so very, very welcome and _wanted_, it felt as if her body was crying of something far, _far_ from anything remotely sad.

Lightning drifted off, felt herself soar, then was so _warm_, so safe and bundled in the dark, sweat trickling down over her forehead and chest, but before long, something crept down over her face as well. "I..." Her voice was hoarse, and her lips almost tasted like blood, though she didn't remember biting them. "Fang, I don't ever mean to, not to... I just don't talk... Not so much." She felt the ripples still throb, lingering deep in her belly, where Fang's fingertips still moved, drawing the whimpers back to her voice. "_Fang_... I've said it-" Lightning's voice cracked. "I've said it, in my own way, but if you... I can say it if, _if_... It'll _mean_ something to you."

Fang said nothing for a moment, simply staring out at the sky, and at the distant, faint streaks on the horizon. "It'll mean everything."

Lightning swallowed, and she felt her tongue go dry. "I love you." It briefly touched the roof of her mouth, yet swiftly flew out and away, like a fluttering bird, so much that she feared she had only imagined saying it. "I _love_ you... Fang, I... I love _you_." She said it until each sound, each syllable was etched along her tongue, against her reddened lips, repeating, _repeating_, into the very fabric of her mind, so that it would never be forgotten.

The twinge, the growing tightness in Fang's chest seemed to swell, threatening to make her choke.

"I love you..." Lightning slowly released her grip on the red sari, and let gravity even it out, still concealing them both from sight. "And it feels like I always have."

It was a dizzying sort of thing, the way Fang could move her so quickly, press her body down against the smooth bark below, kiss her deep and senseless, claim those very echoes on her tongue, copy them, speak them back between sharpened teeth and deft fingertips that hinted of claws, lurking within, that dragged themselves down her spine, pulling out one of the garments to cover her own back.

"_Lightning._" Fang panted each word into her mouth. "_You_, you are my home... You _always_ are, no matter what, no matter what we can say out loud, _ever_."

Lightning swept her fingers over the curve of Fang's waist, then up to her breasts, towards her collarbone, and then over the beating heart, deep within her chest. "You are my home."

Fang drew her even closer, hiding beside her head, to conceal the moisture in her eyes. "That's all you'll ever need to say."

Lightning kissed at her shoulder, then lifted her knee to where she knew that Fang was still aching, still waiting for her touch.

Fang's voice lowered, breaking into sharp, tiny whimpers, and she shuddered when Lightning dragged against her, drawing out the warmth even faster through her veins.

Lightning stared up into the dark pupils, and then into the bright of Fang's eyes, the rich, vibrant irises beside that _endless_ ring of orange, and she saw them, watched them glaze over with every tiny press of her knee. "Fang..." She lifted her arms to smooth them down Fang's back, beneath thick the fabric of the blue sari. "Lay down again, okay?"

Fang complied without a single word, content to watch breathlessly when Lightning slipped down, beneath the soft, whispering fabric, to press a gentle kiss against the inside of her thigh.

"...Just relax." Lightning massaged the long, tensing muscles, and then the curve of her legs, then her hips, until she had knelt down to breathe out against her very center, over the dark, glistened curls between her shaking legs.

"Little _difficult_, wouldn't you say?" Fang suddenly rushed to cover her mouth with a sharp groan, and she bit down against the side of her hand.

Lightning's tongue swirled out, curling with a rhythm, the long, steady pace she had soon grown to favor, easing down into the softness of her skin.

Fang closed her eyes as tight as she could, shivering, murmuring into her hand.

Lightning smoothed her tongue over the pulse, the place she _knew_ could send Fang into an almost wracking fit of motion. "...Don't be shy."

The sudden sense of warmth, the rush was almost immediate, utterly claiming both her voice and body, and Fang could barely help the sharp buck of her hips, nor the long, heady groan that left her throat.

Lightning moved her arms up to trace Fang's waist, then towards her shuddering lungs, and back over to her sides, slick with sweat, until she felt the final signal, the sharp thrust into her mouth, and the way Fang's voice reached its highest, calling, peaking at the very top of her lungs- She sagged, crumpled, curled up in on herself with a low, almost inaudible moan, while her belly clenched, spent, throbbing in the afterglow.

Lightning crept up, pulling the sari against herself, over to Fang's side, where she curled up as well, beneath Fang's chin, until those strong, gentle arms reached out to hold her.

"Shy? Really... I was _only_-" Fang couldn't help the shivering, the sharp cracks in her voice from such readily roaming aftershock. "Only... Oh, _Light_."

Lightning felt Fang's whimper as it rumbled against her own chest, but she herself stayed completely silent, even when she caught a glimpse of Odin far above, still playing within the tree, without a care of what his companions might be up to.

"It was... It was for you." Fang tried to kiss at the top of Lighting's head, but she was still shaking too much, gripping onto her body like a lifeline. "I knew this was... Unusual for us, and I didn't want to make much noise, for your sake."

Lightning let her eyelids drift shut, but not before she caught the first, tiny flecks of sunlight on the dark clouds, moving just above the horizon. "...I'm starting to warm up to 'unusual'."

Fang fought back a full laugh, though she chuckled quietly, breathlessly, holding on as tight as she could.


	24. Chapter 24

"Hey Bhakti, have you seen my shoes anywhere?"

The little dog merely rolled over on his back, dozing away into the dim, early morning.

"_Darn_ it..." Vanille quickly crouched down to search through the space beneath her bed, before she yanked back a pair of sneakers. "There!"

Bhakti opened a single eye at the sound, but after a moment, he rolled over again, closer to a nearby pillow.

"Now, you be _good_ while I'm out, okay?" Vanille hopped on one foot to get one of her sneakers on, and then did the same with her other. "No barking, and don't chew on anything!" She quickly tied her shoes, then raced out into the hall without waiting for a reply, past the counter that led into the tiny kitchen, grabbing her keys from the edge. "Sleep well, buddy!"

Slowly, Bhakti started to wag his tail against the blankets.

Vanille was out the door within mere moments, and then down to a narrow flight of stairs, which led to a small, yet grassy field, and then to the concrete lot where her car was parked.

"Hey... It's probably too early." Four's voice began to echo in her thoughts, though she didn't yet take a visual form. "They'll just be asleep. _We_ should be, too."

"Oh, we could always just hang around the front desk, if they are..." Vanille tugged open the car door and got in her seat, tossing her shoulder-bag over towards the passenger's side. "And I want to get going before the traffic gets bad; it's been real rough lately, even on the weekends."

Four tried to envision a sound of frustration, but Vanille ignored it.

"C'mon now, don't tell me you aren't just as excited to see this!" Vanille turned the ignition, then strapped her seat-belt over her chest. "He had those freaky hands! And his horns... We've gotta learn how to do this."

Four finally appeared before her, sprawled out in the back seat with her arms splayed wide. "Yeah, _no_... Doesn't sound safe."

Vanille frowned at the large reflection in her rear-view mirror, and she wondered why Four had even altered her vision to include such specific details. "Doesn't sound safe..? Why do you say that?"

Four had taken on her bestial form, but her eyes were held shut, while the tip of her tail flicked back and forth against the glass window. "Because, we have no idea how this works... He just changes the shape of it? What if something goes wrong, and he can't get it back to the way it used to be?"

Vanille thought the question over as she drove over to the entryway of the apartment complex, and then out onto the main road. "Well, we'll have to ask him about it."

Four hissed, quietly. "I still don't think we should even try this... You can swim just fine already."

Vanille nearly rolled her eyes, but she kept her attention on the road ahead. "Aw, where's your sense of adventure?"

Four opened her eyes, then, narrowing them, started to speak in a sharp whisper. "Where's my sense of adventure? _Dead_, along with almost every other host I can remember."

Vanille felt her pulse spike. "...What?"

Four glanced away, crossing her arms against her chest. "I... I used to transfer between things, before they got to me." She closed her eyes for a while, to think, before she shook her head back and forth. "_Stupid_ things... Little things that crept around in the dark, normally got killed, maybe transferred to the next... I'm sure there were hardly that made it long, not after I'd left."

Vanille lowered her voice to a whisper. "What... What are you talking about?"

"You've heard it before, where this whole thing came from." Four moved to tap her tail against her own ankles. "Whatever the heck _I_ am... It was just a tiny thing before, long before they put it in you."

Vanille tried not to glance over her shoulder, to see if Four's eyes could tell her whether or not she was kidding."...But you can remember it, from back then?"

"Uh... Sort of." Four glanced up at the passing trees, and the fields that they were driving past, until it was all just a blur in her eyes. "It's uh... Like having the images in your mind, but they don't really show up much, even if you want them." She took a deep breath, relaxing against the seat. "Sometimes I remember them, though, usually when something else happens to us."

Vanille furrowed her brow. "Can you, maybe... Describe it just a little more clearly?"

Four shrugged. "Well..." She pondered it in silence for a while, but when the car turned off onto a much busier street, within the city proper, she started to speak again. "Like when we went hunting that last time, for a squirrel." Four's mind swept back to the taste of blood, and she nearly tried to lick her teeth. "I remembered doing something similar, only with a different host."

Vanille looked up at a nearby road-sign, one with the logo of a hotel near the top. "So you _could_ change before, couldn't you? You could go to a different host, and _be_ something different."

"Not the same." Four shook her head. "It _was_ different, like being a million different things, different thoughts, all spread out until you got into the brain... Then you could _think_, you could tell yourself exactly where to go, how to make your host better." She almost bore her teeth. "Those people... They _messed_ with it, decided where it should _grow_, what each part should look like, and now everything's completely different."

"Different, in what way?"

"Like... It's more solid, and I don't even have to decide where anything goes, it just _does_." Four growled under her breath when they turned onto a wide boulevard, bordered by crowded sidewalks on either side. "Do you have _any_ idea just how many individual parts a human body has? How many need to come back in the right shape for us to stay alive... It's _insane_, and he's just gonna end up killing himself if he isn't careful with it."

Vanille slowly began to smile. "You care about this."

"Of course I _care_-" After a moment, Four snarled quietly. "Not about anyone _else_, just us... Nobody matters but us."

Vanille whispered under her breath. "I think they do."

"You think weird."

Vanille only smiled, driving down through the wide archway that led to the front plaza of the hotel, which was surrounded by topiary on every side.

"He's not... Hope's not that bad, I'll give him that." Four leaned forward to watch the various people walking in and out of the front doors, and her ears perked up. "Does this one have a cafe?"

"I think so." Vanille steered the car towards the visitor's parking garage, and they were soon beneath the darkness of the concrete roof. "Why, do you want breakfast? We did already have a little..."

"It _smells_ good, that's all." Four moved to press her face up against the window, theoretically fogging the glass. "Like when you make stuff at work."

"That reminds me..." Vanille quickly parked the car, and then reached for her shoulder-bag. "I'm supposed to be over at Serah's by noon; we're gonna do some baking!"

Four only watched as Vanille pushed open the door, got out, and locked the car behind her.

"I wonder if Hope would like to come, too..."

Four reappeared at her side with a long, quiet sigh. "Even _more_ people?"

Vanille nodded. "You've gotta get used to it sometime!" She smiled again, gazing up at Four, who stood quite a bit taller than her human self. "Because I _like_ people, and I think that if you really tried, you might like them to."

Four waited for Vanille to start walking, before she started to follow her, swishing her tail from side to side. "Well... Whatever you say."

"Just keep an open mind." Vanille walked out from the garage, out into the path that led up to the front doors, before she winced slightly at the sudden brightness. "And don't worry about today, we'll take tiny, baby steps... I wonder if Anima knows just how safe it would be to try something like this."

"If Hope was really as bright as you all think he is, he would've already asked her."

Vanille tried not to sigh at Four. "Well, maybe he _has_."

Four took a single step forward, before she faded into thin air, a;though she still spoke in the same, grumbling tone. "I just _don't_ like the sound of this... Go by instinct, and you'll feel it too."

Vanille said nothing; she simply continued down the path, up towards the marble staircase that led to the hotel itself.

* * *

Lightning walks across the dappled stones, careful not to slip.

Something flickers beneath the surface, rising out with a small spray of foam, before it drops back down again, with only a ripple of water left behind.

Lightning merely breathes, deep and chilling, of the air swirling all around, above the black, racing current just below her.

Another flash, another ripple of movement, wind and sound, before she closes her eyes, and slowly slips off into the dark.

Soon, she feels something move up beside her, brushing against her arms, but when she forces her eyes to open again, stung by the cold, murky liquid, she can see only a short glimmer of silver, which darts off again into the dark.

_Come back. _Lightning feels the words gather on her tongue, but she dares not open her mouth to speak._ I won't hurt you, I just want to know what all of this __is__..._

A sleek, yet rounded face, dark, beady eyes. They gaze back at her from the darkness, before a long tail propels it away.

One's voice cuts through the soft murmur of water, as if it weren't even there at all. "You _really_ want to know?"

_I'd like to._

"Well, you go swimming, and I start to remember things... You hunt, and I remember other things, same deal."

Lightning kicks with her hind legs, against the current, against the frigid depths that tug tightly at her skin, her carapace, but she can't quite seem to break its hold.

"I already showed you what I was, before... Do you want to see the one before that?"

Lightning nods, breathless, burning deep within her lungs for even just a _gasping_ draw of air-

_Breathe._

She opens her mouth and silently, achingly chokes, before something solid slams upwards against her back, driving her off with a force she could barely even process, much less turn around to see.

The oxygen soon fills her mouth, then her lungs, and she clings to it, to the bobbing surface for as long as she can, but the water quickly claims her again, steals the limbs from her body, her smaller features, until her entire _being_ is gone, dragged back down into the dark... Only to gaze again, out from the eyes of another.

The creature surges past the rush of current, merely a small hindrance with such a sleek, streamlined form, and its body ducks up and down, pushing it forward, though the waves.

"I think humans have a word for these... Not _fish._ Wouldn't want to be a fish..." One pauses to think it over for a long while. "Hell if I can remember."

Thin, bright pink skin darts alongside the blur of sliver, up and down and then back up again, over and between wide, sunken branches, moss-covered rocks, and even the fallen outline of a vast, rotting tree.

"Was it a seal? No, not seals."

Lightning gazes out into the memory, moving onward with such speed, such _velocity_ that she swore, if only it hadn't been for the water-

Then she was flying, far above the spray, above the water itself, and her companion, the one she _knew_, somehow, she knew_-_

"Oh! I remember now, it just sounds weird. Dolphins..." One scoffs under her breath. "_Dolphin_, what a dumb word."

The little one, the pale, silver blur, she can see it jumping above a large rock, until it had soared far above the width of it, landing back into the river with a sharp, yet quiet crack.

Lightning herself starts to twist, rotating in midair, but she can barely keep herself aloft for long, and soon smacks back down against the water once more.

They swim _there_, together, moving around in circles, and Lightning simply watches, feels the memory unfold over the course of days, weeks, even months, until suddenly... A shadow appears over the water above.

"Oh, here's the good part!" She can practically feel One grinning. "Now this might've been the _best_ host I ever had... Not counting you, I mean, no offense."

A soft, mottled face leans down to lap at the water, crouching atop the side of a fallen tree.

"Here, kitty kitty..."

The slender creatures below, twisting and pitching themselves throughout the murk, a single one suddenly breaks off from the group, approaching the stranger, far above.

"Watch close, Light."

A narrow mouth drifts open in preparation, just beneath the long, spotted tail, which brushes ever so gently against the water's surface...

The dolphin surges out and bites down, clamping its blunted teeth as hard as it _possibly_ can into the jaguar's tail, even when the feline thrashes, roaring and tearing back with both claws and sharp, deadly teeth, until the water grows red with blood.

"It was just enough to hitch a ride, ditch the fish..." One's perspective shifts, into the microbial organism that creeps along the jaguar's wound, seeping out from the saliva and into the bloodstream itself. "I mean, you always leave part of it behind, but it's not really you that stays... You _become_ the next one."

Lightning finally feels her own body reform, although it's translucent and sprawled out against the shore. "You... You told the host to bite it?"

"Animals aren't..." One pauses. "They don't really get upset if you take control once in a while."

Lightning breathes, deep and shaky, until her lungs finally start to feel dry again, and she can stare into the dream without seeing constant, waving motion. "Then it looks like you're stuck with me."

One lets out a laugh, but the sound is bitter and cold, slowly trailing off into the dark. "And you _wonder_ why I get so freaked out..."

* * *

There was a gentle knock at the door, just as Nora was lifting up a warm mug of tea. "One moment!" She reached out for the television remote to mute the current channel, before she rose to her feet, and walked over towards the entryway.

When the door creaked open, revealing the face of Vanille, Nora tried not to chuckle. "You're a little early, sweetheart."

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Vanille had her hands clasped together with wide, gleaming eyes. "It's just I could barely even sleep last night, and when I finally did, it was already morning when I woke up again!"

Nora stepped aside and let Vanille skip past, before she moved the door shut with her shoulder. "Well, Hope's still asleep, I'm afraid..."

Vanille spun in place with a tiny frown. "Oh..? Well that's okay, if you don't mind me being here, of course-"

"Not at all." Nora gestured at the tiny living room, which stood beside an even tinier kitchen. "I've only been watching the news, today; would you like some tea? We bought a box of doughnuts last night, so if you haven't had breakfast..."

Vanille grinned at her. "Thank you, but I'm alright!" She followed after her, down the narrow hall. "Four wanted to get something down at the cafe, so I already-" Vanille paused when she saw Nora's somewhat blank expression. "Oh, um, Four, she's... Hope's already told you about Three, right?"

Recognition flashed across Nora's face. "That would make sense... And all of them have their own numbers, don't they?"

Vanille nodded. "It was what they called us, back then."

Nora almost frowned at the thought, and she gestured for Vanille to sit down beside her on the couch. "That always _sounds_ so far away, but..." She shook her head, pushing back the memory as best she could. "Sometimes, I'll wake up and think about where to put up 'missing' posters... Then, I'll remember."

"I'm so glad you guys found each other again!" Vanille sat down on the sofa, and she let her mind wander back to the days when they could barely shift back their own faces and hands, much less an entire body's worth of carapace. "I remember, he was... He'd sound so _scared _about seeing his mom and dad again, but it worked out just like I told him it would."

Nora started to nod. "It's been a _very_ strange couple of years, that's for sure..." She glanced at the television screen, then back at Vanille. "So, what's the plan for today? I'd like to know if he'll need a ride back once you're done out there."

"Oh, I'll call you if he does!" Vanille poked at the strap of her purse. "But I was gonna ask him if he might want to come with me and visit Serah and Snow; I'm headed over there somewhere around noon."

"...I think that would be good for him." Nora looked over at one of the bedroom doors, which was still closed towards the rest of the rooms. "It sounds like he's been overworking himself again, so I think some time with friends will be a healthy change of pace."

"All this _news_, though..." Vanille glanced down at her hands. "About changing the carapace and everything."

Nora took a deep breath. "I know... But I still worry."

Vanille felt the presence, lurking deep in the back of her mind, of Four metaphorically pacing back and forth... Dreading each and every moment spent so close to another human, without any open means of escape. "I'll look out for Hope too, okay?" She tried to smile, to lift Nora's spirits. "He and I would always stick together when things got too scary or weird; we'd just go somewhere safe, unless everyone else was with us."

Nora smiled, softly. "Thank you, Vanille."

"It's no trouble at all, either! I've been trying to spend more time with everyone anyway..." Vanille looked down at her feet. "Four... She's more than a little shy."

"Are they-" Nora tried to find the right words. "Is it _really_ like having another mind inside of yours? I just can't even imagine..."

Vanille felt her nose twitch, and then a few of the muscles in her cheek did the same, before the sensation started to fade. "Yeah, she's always here with me." There was a slight blur to her vision, and then a flash, a sharp pang of panic in her stomach, while Four's presence grew ever more restless. "Um, could you, maybe-" Vanille suddenly let out a loud gasp, clutching at the top of her forehead.

"Vanille?!" Nora reached over in concern, before she moved to touch Vanille's shoulder.

"_No!_"

Slowly, _carefully_, Nora drew her hand away.

Her body trembled in place, breathing quick, and then rasping, before she looked up, gazing out with set of orange-ringed eyes, towards Nora's face, almost as if something were dragging them there without much practice. "No, not Vanille, not..." She let out a ragged hiss. "Don't _touch_ _us!_"

Nora spoke softly, eyes wide. "I won't, I promise, I won't..." She began to watch the twitching part of Vanille's face, then she glanced towards her open mouth, at her, teeth greatly elongated. "...Four? I just need you to trust me, okay? I would _never_ do anything to hurt Vanille."

"She's... She's _always_-" Her whole body shook, eyes narrow. "I hate humans... I _hate_ them, they all live so _close_, so damn _vulnerable_!"

Nora lowered her voice a bit. "Four..."

"I don't _want_ to... Don't want to _hurt!_" She shivered again, quietly mumbling, muttering under her breath. "She doesn't listen, doesn't _listen_ to me!"

"Four? _I'm_ listening, Four." Nora waited until the bright set of eyes had met her gaze. "I'm listening to you now, okay? Is Vanille able to listen, too?"

"...She _always_ can."

"Then I need you to let her go, okay? Let her come back."

She suddenly laughed, long and low. "'Let her come back'... She can come back if she wants." Her mouth twitched again, gently pressing down on her lip with sharp, pointed teeth. "She can _take_ it back..."

The next voice was soft, almost a whisper. "..._Nora?_"

Nora nodded. "I'm right here, sweetheart."

Vanille's gaze slowly lowered, staring off into seemingly nothing, before, after a moment of silence, she lowered her hands from her head. "Four... Are you okay?"

Nora could hear nothing in response, but Vanille seemed to think over some sort of reply, still looking at nothing in particular.

"Vanille?"

She only began to nod, listening to something within her head.

Nora leaned back, slowly, against the side of the couch.

Another voice. "...I'm sorry."

"Is this Four again?"

Narrow eyes, watching each and every move she made. "Yes." A sharper tone, warning.

"Okay, Four, I want you to understand something." Nora reached up to point at the embroidered symbol on the edge of her shirt, near the neckline. "Do you see this, right here? I work as a nurse, that's someone who heals other humans who get injured or sick."

She swallowed, yet said nothing.

"Now, nurses like me, we have to take a very important oath, just like doctors, and that oath is to do no harm." Nora watched the flicker of orange rings, expanding with the wary shiver inside. "I promise you... You are _safe_ with me."

It was a long moment before the gaze flicked away, staring at her hands, the floor, anything but the human beside her.

"Can I please speak to Vanille again?"

Slowly, her gaze slid back, and Vanille's shoulders went slightly limp. "_Wow_..."

"Are you feeling alright?" Nora kept a good distance away, but she still glanced over to examine Vanille's rate of breath, and then at the way her pupils had almost fully dilated. "Are you dizzy, hard to breathe?"

Vanille began to nod, and she leaned back against the couch, covering her forehead with both hands. "That felt weird."

"I can imagine..." Nora rose to her feet and made her way down to the kitchen, before she returned with a fresh mug of tea. "Have a sip of this."

Vanille reached out to take the cup with a tiny nod, and she inhaled the scent of rich, blended herbs. "Thanks..." She slowly drank, felt the liquid flow down her throat, until her whole chest felt warm, tingly, and... _Safe_.

Nora reached out for her own mug. "I use it on special occasions... Whenever I'm feeling stressed, or tired from work or driving." She lifted the cup to her mouth. "My mother used to make it back when I was a child; if I'd be stressed from school, or squabbling with friends, whatever reason... It always helped me calm down."

Slowly, Vanille squeezed her eyes shut. "I wish I'd... Wish I had a mom to do that."

Nora felt a sharp pang in her chest, and if she hadn't already sworn to keep her distance, she would have pulled Vanille into a hug right then and there.

"I used to get really sick." Vanille held the mug close to her chest, to feel the steam wisp against her face. "People in the village would help take care of me, but... Until I met Fang, I didn't really have anyone like that at all."

Nora tried not to let her voice break. "I'm so sorry."

Vanille shook her head back and forth, before she took another long sip. "I made the best of it, didn't I?" She opened her eyes, staring down at her trembling fingertips, at the claws she knew were mere inches from bursting to life. "I've got a great job now, doing what I love..."

Nora held her breath.

"...And I didn't even want to murder the neighbors canary this morning, so I've got that going for me."

It was so _quiet_ at first, the airy laugh that crept out from her chest, joining in with the soft, growing giggles from Vanille, but after a while, they were both almost out of breath, silently laughing together, content to just relax upon the couch.

* * *

Fang woke to the sound of distant calls, perhaps from a passing herd of antelope, or even some sort of grassland deer, but when she opened her eyes, all she could see was the vast, empty plains, stretching around the entire trunk of the tree.

She felt something warm at her chest, and when Fang looked down, her mouth twitched into a smile.

Lightning had nuzzled her face up against Fang's collarbone, and she was murmuring in her sleep with her mouth just slightly open.

"Hmm... Morning." Fang whispered each word against her head, and kissed around the soft, pink locks, nudging at them with the end of her nose. "Still asleep?"

Lightning slumbered on, although her nose twitched every so often.

Fang reached out to wrap her arms around Lightning's back, holding her close. "...Wonder what we'll see today." She began to listen to the shifting leaves, the gentle wind that was brushing up against the tree itself, cooling them both from the heat of the midday sun. "Slept a long while, didn't we?"

Something rustled up above, and Fang looked up to see Odin, who had a cricket clamped in his teeth. "Good morning, scamp."

The insect tried to whack at Odin's mouth, struggling against it, but he simply held it there, until the urge to yawn at his companions became too great.

Fang watched the cricket flee, leaping back into the leaves, before she shook her head back and forth. "No bugs for breakfast, huh?"

Lightning began to mumble against her chest, snuggling closer.

Odin let out a soft, mighty yawn, and he began to stretch, balanced upon the branch above.

"I could go for some breakfast, myself." Fang thought back to the taste of jackrabbit, and then to the tiny river fish, before her stomach rumbled a bit. "Could go for some _pancakes_... Haven't had those in ages."

Lightning mumbled something, before she rolled over onto her back. "Pancakes..?"

Fang chuckled, quietly. "You waking up on me?"

Her forehead creased, and Lightning slowly opened her eyes, just slightly. "Fang?"

"Right here."

Lightning sighed, rubbing at the side of her head. "I hate dolphins."

It took Fang more than a moment to process such a statement. "...Why do you hate dolphins?"

"Too smart for their own good." She reached up to hug herself, then curled back over against Fang's neck. "_Smart-ass_... Dolphin cat, whatever the _hell_ she is."

Fang kept silent for a moment, trying not to laugh. "Okay."

"One... She was a dolphin."

"Okay."

Lightning scrunched up her nose. "She bit a jaguar on the tail."

"Okay."

"It's how she'd transfer hosts."

Fang nodded. "Okay..."

Lightning yawned, and then closed her eyes again. "I want pancakes, too."

"We'll, I'll let you know if I spot a diner anywhere."

Dozing, Lightning began to murmur again, just barely audible. "Thanks..."

Fang leaned forward, smiling into her hair. "Don't mention it."

* * *

A/N: I shit you not, pink river dolphins actually exist.


	25. Chapter 25

Nora glanced up from the television. "Good morning, Hope."

He only mumbled under his breath, shuffling over towards the kitchen.

Vanille turned around on the sofa to peer over the back, and she smiled at him. "Hey, sleepyhead."

With the side of his wrist, Hope rubbed at his eyes, then reached for the box of doughnuts on the counter. "You're here early, Vanille..."

Vanille kept peering out into the kitchen, watching as Hope fumbled with the box, still drowsy, before he simply lifted it to carry towards tiny living room.

"...I kept having weird dreams last night." Hope soon flopped down on the couch beside Vanille, offering her a doughnut from the box. "Didn't sleep too well."

Vanille took one with colorful frosting. "Sorry to hear that..."

The television screen flashed to the image of a political briefing, but the volume was much too low for them to hear what was being said.

Hope shrugged. "...Just means I'll be sleepy."

Nora narrowed her eyes at the television subtitles.

Biting down on her doughnut, Vanille glanced over the shadows under Hope's eyes, and the way that his hair was more than a bit unbrushed. "But you'll be up for visiting the pond? We could always just go tomorrow, if you're too tired-"

"No, no... We'll go." Hope started to eat his own doughnut, but he didn't bother to pause and savor the taste. "I really want to try shifting like that again; it was amazing."

In the back of Vanille's mind, Four started to bristle.

"Um... Hey, Hope?" Vanille waited for him to look her in the eye. "Four's been a little worried about all this, about whether it's really safe or not."

Hope paused, and then he thought for a moment, as if working apart the question in his head. "...In what way do you mean? How wouldn't it be safe?"

"Well, were you able to shift back to normal afterwards?" Vanille held up her own hand. "She's just a little worried that you might not be able to go back, or that something might go wrong once you shift over to human again."

"I really haven't noticed anything, but it's a good question." Hope looked down at his fingertips. "It feels almost the same as normal shifting, though... Doesn't hurt much different, more or less."

Vanille felt the tension in her mind grow a bit less jumbled, relaxing ever so slightly.

Hope finished his doughnut, then nodded to himself. "I'll keep a close eye on it, though; I've been talking to Anima about... Other stuff."

Almost as if on cue, a tiny white dog trotted out from one of the bedrooms, wagging his tail at Vanille.

"_Carbuncle!_" Vanille laughed and sat up straight, before she leaned down to scoop him up into her arms. "How've you been, buddy?"

Hope tried not to flinch. "Might not be a good idea to ask him that."

Vanille frowned a little. "Why not? Is something wrong?"

Hope shook his head, then reached out to pet Carbuncle behind the ears. "No, not wrong... Just freaky."

Nora glanced over at the little dog. "...We seem to have an aspiring author on our hands."

"It wasn't a _story_, mom..." Hope leaned back against the couch. "It was just: _'dog dog dog dog'_, over and over again."

Vanille looked between the two of them, frowning. "What are you guys talking about?"

Hope gently tapped at Carbuncle. "He managed to get into an empty text document, one I had left open... And somehow, he knew how to type what he was."

Vanille's eyes went wide, but Carbuncle merely wagged his tail.

"And then, Anima texted me about something that her hand had written while she was asleep..." Hope closed his eyes for a while. "Things have been getting more than a little weird."

"Oh, _Carbuncle_..." Vanille rubbed at the sides of his head with her thumbs. "You're a real smart puppy, aren't you? Those spikes aren't the only thing you've got going for ya..."

Carbuncle's nose began to twitch at the scent of doughnuts.

"You can't have one, they're chocolate." Hope closed the box and stood up, shaking his head at the tiny dog. "Unless you want to start pushing up daisies, you can't have anything chocolate."

Vanille hugged Carbuncle a little tighter. "Bhakti almost got into some trash while we were walking the other week... They just don't get that they shouldn't eat it." She looked over at the television, which was showing the image of a large, elaborate meeting hall, in which several people were sitting and talking together. One of the figures had a face she recognized, and Vanille leaned forward to watch. "Cid Raines?"

Nora nodded, but she kept her gaze on the screen. "They've been talking all morning about the election... Seems they've decided to finalize the entire investigation."

Hope called out from the kitchen. "Are they still saying it was a coup?"

Nora reached for the remote and turned up the volume.

On the screen, a man had stepped up to one of the podiums with a handful of papers. "-several allegations of political subterfuge, and clear evidence of toxic exposure, by way of autopsy upon both individuals, yet to this day, we have found no clear evidence connecting either the Calvary, nor any living Sanctum officials to the specific event itself."

The man paused a moment, then turned to the next page of paper. "Furthermore, the seat of our Primarch, according to subsection E of the united delegation scripture, states that for no longer than three years may our country go on without such guidance, save for unresolved internal conflict, or external warfare, et cetera."

The camera turned, and a woman with short white hair began to rise from her seat, before she accepted her place at the podium, where the previous speaker had been standing. "Over the past two years, all Sanctum personnel have undergone rigorous investigation per the events of Primarch Galenth Dysley's most _untimely_ passing, and I am sure that our own beloved Calvary can say quite the same..."

From across the room, Cid Raines stood up as well, and moved to the opposite podium. "That, we will concur."

The camera turned back to the woman with white hair, before the words _'Senator Menrva'_ appeared beside the scrolling text at the bottom. "Then I do believe, unless our fine friends of the Guardian Corps have anything further to add..?"

None of the uniformed officials at the table began to speak.

Menrva nodded, and looked straight into the camera. "Then I believe, our election can proceed."

* * *

Beneath a curtained windowsill, a tiny television screen flickered above the desk, covered in various diagrams, biological manuscripts, and an unearthed, open crate.

Anima stared at the screen for a long, silent moment, before she slowly started to smile. "I suppose it can."

Beyond the window pane, several dog were racing around in the wide, fenced-in yard, chasing each other with wagging tails, although on their backs, they sported several different kinds of spikes, and some even had horns growing out from the sides of their heads.

Anima looked away from the television, before she reached over to turn it off. "Good man, didn't leave anything behind..." She felt her fingertips twitch, and then she glanced back down at a certain document. "And _we_ certainly didn't give them any fingerprints, now did we?"

Within her hand, she could feel something begin to twinge, almost as if in response.

"Now..." She took a deep breath, turning the page to find an incredibly detailed sketch of internal human anatomy, although it looked to be augmented, with certain areas color-coded to show the wide, gradual growth of something foreign. "I am going to tell you this story... From the very beginning."

The organism within her hand kept both silent, and still.

"We can trace back most of your progenitor strains to a most curious animal, called a tarsier." Anima reached for another sheet of paper, which was a map of Gran Pulse and its surrounding islands. "We were _very_ surprised, you see, to find that it had become so widespread... Almost every documented species that we could find was carrying on a sample of it, if only in residual amounts." She tapped her left index finger against a chain of islands, beside the western coast of the mainland. "We spent _years_ just collecting this data... Blood samples, saliva, everything pointed to an organism capable of long, widespread growth."

Anima reached for another map, which was dotted with several markers to indicate their regional findings. "I've narrowed it down to the most docile examples, from our friends outside..." She glanced at the window. "Nearly all of them came from a slow-moving source, and according to my records of our canine experimentation, the more aggressive individuals were carrying strains from predatory beasts, or extremely territorial herbivores."

Her right hand kept completely still.

"...I do not believe such data can be a coincidence." Anima reached up to take off her glasses, rubbing at the shadows beneath her eyes. "Now, the injection process itself occurred far, far later on, even after the initial experimentation stage." She glanced down at her hand. "You might find most of the smaller details to be irrelevant, so I'll cut to the chase."

Anima slipped her glasses back on, and then pulled out a photo album from the dusty box. "Our original plan... Before we turned to PSICOM."

Upon the first page, the photograph of a smiling pair of women stared back at her, from beneath a tropical canopy, and Anima's felt her breath grow sharp, before she closed her eyes, biting back the sudden rush of sorrow, and the twinging in her lungs.

Slowly, her right fingertips began to curl.

"That is... All in the past, now." Anima slowly steadied herself, then she took a deep breath and turned to the next page. It was holding, not a photograph, but the sketch of a human being, who stood beside a towering creature, one with horns, spikes, and a sleek, all-encompassing carapace. "We believed that it would be our finest work... A human individual capable of summoning an incredible amount of protection at any time, or even the means to defend themselves from assailants."

She looked over to the next picture, a more fleshed out diagram, which showed where each injection site should be placed, and where the tiny organism would eventually flow out into the bloodstream, and then circulate, mutating each cycle to reflect the desired shape of matter.

"We realized that with the aid of regeneratives, such a process could become almost _instantaneous_."

The next pages held the diagrams of several different microscopic samples, varying in both shape and size, and even to pigment and texture.

"But... It came at a most grueling pace." Anima turned to the photograph of their very first successful test subject, a tiny, white mouse, which had spines sticking out from its fur. "The concept of human trials was astronomically far away, and even then, our funding just couldn't support the cost of replicating such an amount of regeneratives... It could have gotten into the millions if we hadn't learned how to make them spawn naturally."

The next page had another sketch, of a human hand, yet with long, black claws.

"We wanted this to be our legacy, the _very_ first biological human augment... Something to aid the entirety of mankind." She turned to the photograph of a blooded, tile floor, which held a sedated animal, one with red foam spilling out from between its teeth. "Although, I suppose... Nature always has a mind of its own."

* * *

Slowly, Fang opened her eyes, but when she suddenly realized that her arms were empty, a flash of fear crossed from within her stomach, straight up into her chest. "...Light?!"

Only a moment had passed before something rustled from up above, and then a human face, one she knew so very well, peered down at her from within the leaves. "Finally up?"

"Damn, Light!" Fang took a deep breath, rising up to sit. "Thought you might've fallen, or something-"

"I won't."

Fang suddenly realized that Lightning was _hanging_ from an upper branch, by her knees, still completely human in shape. She had crossed her arms against her chest, while most of her hair was splayed out around her, somewhat hiding her face from view.

"I told you before... I'm good at climbing." Lightning's face was quickly flushed from the gravity that tugged at her blood, but she still kept herself upside down, fully dressed in her sari. "You alright?"

Fang began to nod, and a wry smile crept over her lips. "Yeah, but you're gotta get pricked by all those thorns..."

Lightning let one of her hands drop down, where a tiny welt was slowly receding from her thumb. "Only a couple times."

Fang reached up to touch and caress her palm, gently moving around the injury. "Hey, come back down and I'll kiss it better for you..."

Lightning nearly smiled. "I think you can reach it from there."

Slowly, Fang rose up to her knees, and then kissed at the edge of Lightning's thumb. "Come down anyway, okay?"

Lightning waited for Fang to let go of her hand, before she rose back up, grabbing at one of the higher branches, then she let her knees release their hold, which made her dangle for a moment, and then drop back down towards the trunk.

She held her breath until Lightning caught a firm grip against the bark, and once she was finally back down at the crook of the tree, Fang reached out to pull her close.

"Hm?" Lightning blinked, before she began to rest her chin against Fang's shoulder. "You're huggy, today..."

Fang nodded. "Because you're a _damn_ crazy daredevil... But I almost want to try it, too."

Lightning felt herself smile, slowly. "You did say that we came out here to goof off."

Fang hugged her even tighter, before she let her arms go slightly slack, letting Lightning lean back against the tree. "Are you ready to get moving again? It's already noon."

Lightning glanced up to see that, yes, the sun was almost directly above their tree, shining through the gaps in the leaves. "Yeah, let's go."

Fang looked up as well, but when she saw Odin resting between a nook in the branches, she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Come on down, buddy... We're heading out."

Odin lifted his head with a drowsy look in his eyes, but he soon let out a quiet yawn, and then rose back up to his feet.

Lightning looked down at her hands. "...Fang."

"Yeah?"

She tried not to blush. "You said, that you'd-"

Fang suddenly smiled, and she reached for Lightning's hand, pressing down a soft kiss against her thumb. "Of course..." She held on to Lightning's gaze as she did so, before she let both of their hands move down, between them. "Did it get you anywhere else?"

Lightning bit back a smile. "Well, it did cut my cheek, but the regeneratives..."

Fang leaned forward to peck at the side of her face.

"...Might've also nicked me on the lip."

Fang inhaled, and then she reached up to brush her thumb beneath Lightning's chin. "I think that _you_, Ms. Farron..." She kissed her, then, gradually, breathing deep. "Might be taking advantage of my good nature."

Lightning's felt her eyelids slide shut. "I think... That you might be enjoying every second of it."

Fang lowered her gaze, to where their lips were only just a fraction away from each other, mingling with each breath she took. "You'd think right."

It was within second that Lightning pressed forward, and they were moved up against the tree trunk again, grasping, kissing, growing closer, until Fang could scarcely breathe. "Thought we were heading _out_..."

"We will..." Lightning spoke the words while she nipped down on Fang's jaw, tracing each point of her teeth over the soft, subtle curve of skin. "But right now-"

Fang took a sharp breath when Lightning bit down on the side of her neck.

"...You did _this_ last night." Lightning slowly released it, panting against the mark on Fang's skin. "It was... Fang, it was _hot_."

"I told-" Fang was struggling to form a coherent word, much less a full sentence. "_Told_ you not to mess with my teeth... Didn't, want to-" She nearly groaned out loud when Lightning sank down again, nipping down on her neck just a little harder. "...Didn't want to lose control."

Lightning licked at the reddened mark, and her whole body shook with a whisper. "I almost _want_ you to."

Fang felt her eyelids slip shut.

"But... We do need to get moving."

Gradually, Fang let her eyes open, felt the heat in her stomach simmer down, before she leaned forward to trace her fingertips across Lightning's cheek. "Tonight, if we can find a place..."

"You'll do it again?"

Fang slowly nodded. "If you want."

Lightning reached up to touch Fang's wrist, just beside the side of her face. "I'll hold you to that... I've missed having a room where we can be alone."

Fang glanced up to see Odin scrabble across one of the main branches, until he had landed squarely on his feet beside them. "I've missed it, too."

Lightning reached down for the little cat, who batted his paws at her, but still let himself get picked up.

"...He'd better behave today." Fang eyed at the sharp, retractable claws, resting just beneath Odin's fur. "Little kitties who _bite_ people don't get a free breakfast, you hear?"

Odin merely stared at her.

Lightning reached for her satchel. "Well, I won't get upset if you hiss at him... After he bites, of course." She began to open the clasp with one hand, and then lower Odin inside it with her other. "He's gotta learn not to mess with you."

Fang waited until Lightning began to close the bag again, before she leaned back, still blanketed by the dark blue cloth. "Yeah... Now, while I'd never doubt your climbing skills-"

Without a word, Lightning reached up to unclasp her sari, but before Fang could let her gaze linger on the skin beneath, her entire form began to move, and then shift.

Sleek, white carapace came down from beside her horns, and her spine slowly creaked, elongating, changing, until her tail finally appeared from the base of her back.

Fang watched, wordless, until the soft, pink mane at Lightning's back gave way to long, deadly spines. "...How's the pain?"

Lightning waited for her throat to clear. "Not... Not so bad." She almost choked over the words when her jaw unhinged, giving way to even more carapace, and then the long, curving teeth that grew from within. "Still-" Lightning's breath caught, and she closed her eyes, shivering until finally, her body had grown complete. "Still hurts."

Fang reached out to caress the side of Lightning's face, beside the almost elegant shape of her mouth, and the flat, angled nostrils, breathing gently against her skin. "But it's manageable?"

Lightning nodded into Fang's touch.

"I wish, I could make it-" Fang stopped to glance down at her own hands, and then at the dark outline of claws within her fingertips, steadily growing larger. "Wish I could just make it go away."

Lightning stared down at Fang's arms, at then at the carapace sliding out from beneath her claws. "I don't think anyone can."

It was only a short while before Fang was sitting tall beside her, having completely shifted, with her tail twitching back and forth. "You ready to go?"

Lightning rose up to all fours, and then glanced down at the field. "Let's move."

* * *

Vanille swung open the car door with a wide grin. "Oh look, there it is!" She had parked along the side of the road, on the edge of a narrow field, blooming with scattered wildflowers. "C'mon, Hope!"

Hope reached down to unbuckle his seat-belt. "Coming..." He opened the door beside him, before Vanille began to lock it with the remote on her key-ring. "You know, we really don't have to hurry; the pond's not going anywhere."

"Yeah, but c'mon!" Vanille raced out into the grass, gripping at the strap of her shoulder-bag. "Hey, I'm gonna go shift, I'll be right back!"

Hope watched her run out into the field for a moment, but when she had disappeared into a nearby patch of trees, he quickly looked away. "Didn't think it was that exciting..."

Three was suddenly standing beside him, and he gazed out over the field, at the yellow pollen swirling around with the wind, and then down to the large pond, which lay beyond a short slope. "It sounds as if... As if Four isn't quite happy with the idea."

Hope walked out into the grass. "Yeah. I don't know very much about her, just what Vanille says." He watched as a cricket jumped out into his path, before it leapt away just as quickly. "If she gets nervous, don't push it, okay? Some people, they just..."

Three followed after him. "I understand."

"Hey, Hope!" Vanille came running back into the field, fully shifted, with a bundle clothes held beneath her arm. "You should go change, too."

Hope looked up at her, at then at the way she stood more than a bit taller than him, although not quite as much as a few years ago. "Okay."

Vanille nodded at him, and then over to the tiny hill that led down to the water's edge. Once she had reached the rocky shore, she set down both her clothes and purse within a patch of nearby grass. "We won't be going too far out, and we'll hear if anyone comes close."

Four's appeared beside her, though only translucently. "You don't want to lock your things in the car?"

"I'd have to leave my keys somewhere out here, and I don't want to lose track of them." Vanille set the key-ring in question down beneath her clothes, before she stood up again, turning to face the water. "We'd be locked out and have to _walk_ to Serah's..."

She looked up after a moment to see that had shifted as well, and that he had started to walk down the hill with his clothes folded up beneath his arm.

"Over here!" Vanille waved at him, gesturing at the grass. "We'll stay close to the shore and leave our stuff here, okay?"

Hope nodded. "Okay." He set down his clothes, and then turned towards the pond. "I did want to ask, before we try this at all..."

Vanille walked up beside him.

"Could you maybe ask Four if she'd like to talk it over with Three?" Hope reached up to tap at the side of his head. "I wants to make sure that they're both on the same page with all this."

Vanille paused, thinking in silence, until Four finally decided to answer her._ ...I'll take control, if it's okay with you._

She nodded, and gradually, her gaze went blank. After a long, silent moment, green eyes flicked over towards where Hope was standing, before a different tone of voice left her throat. "Alright... Talk."

Hope sat down on the ground, gesturing for her to do the same. "This is Four speaking, right? I'm still Hope." He watched each of her cautious movements, the way that she always made sure to evaluate his current stance, and where his claws were resting. "I just wanted to say that I think you're taking good care of Vanille... Honestly, I'd be more worried if _you_ weren't worried, you know?"

Four slowly glanced at the shore. "...Thanks."

Hope nodded, and then he closed his eyes. "Three, you can take over."

It was a long while before his eyes slid open again, but when they did, they quickly came to rest on Four's own gaze, and after a brief moment, Three began to speak. "Hello."

Four told herself to look away, but didn't. "Hello."

"This is..." Three blinked, testing the way it felt to control each movement, each individual muscle. "This is unusual, I've never spoken to anyone like me before."

Four almost bristled a bit, but she kept it to herself, finally breaking away from his gaze. "...Me neither."

Three sat quietly for a while. "I've been _very_ careful with everything, you know... They aren't going to get hurt on my watch."

Four narrowed her eyes. "Why should I believe you?"

Three leaned forward, to examine the way her jaw clenched, and how her quills were almost standing on end. "Because I have a stake in this, too... I don't want to see my host to get hurt just as much as you do."

Four's ears went flat against her head.

"So, can you try to cooperate with us?" Three slowly rose up to all fours. "I know that it might not be-"

She lowered her voice. "I _don't_ like you as much as Hope."

Three paused, and then he bristled a little as well. "And why is that?"

"You're arrogant... You don't even think that you might hurt him on accident." Four hissed at him, refusing to meet his gaze. "But nobody can control that much."

Three kept completely still, before he lowered his voice to a snarl. "_Arrogant? _If you aren't capable of controlling your entire self, don't take it out us."

Four could feel Vanille try to grab away her hold, to speak out, but she seized down on the reins even tighter, snarling back at him. "I _can_ control myself! Don't twist it... _You're_ the one messing with your host, toying with this, _pushing_ what we can-!"

It happened within a mere second, with a sudden, mutual snapping of teeth, outstretched claws, and then a cold, harrowing roar.

After a blur of movement, striking and bloodshed, Three leapt to the side, dodging a vicious swipe from above, wide-eyed and snarling.

Four snarled right back at him, before she rose up upon all fours, almost as if to ignore the long, bleeding gash on her neck.

_No, No! __**Stop**__ it, Three! _He could feel Hope struggling against him, desperate to force him away, but when they barely avoided a sharp blow to the stomach, Three took complete hold over his host, and surged out to bash his head against Four's chest, which sent her toppling down against the earth.

Four wheezed, wobbling slightly, but she was up again just as fast, lurching off into the grass, out of sight.

"_Really_, now?!" Three let his voice rise out to a guttural bark, before he rose up on his hind legs, until she had reappeared off to the side. "You're_ really_-"

Four slammed her hind legs down, cracking into his knees, and she reached out to grasp at the very center of his neck, before they were both toppling down, up to their heads in water, snarling and howling at each other, grappling for whatever hold they could manage.

_Four, wait, __**no!**__ Don't don't __**don't-! **_Vanille was practically screaming from within her thoughts, but Four's vision had long since gone utterly red, and beneath the pounding flow of blood in her veins, the wounds on her neck, and primal surge of ravenous, _killing_ instincts-

Below her, with her hands squeezing down upon his throat... His eyes went blank.

Four felt the rush of air, just beneath her fingertips, the way his neck trembled, how his thrashing body went limp beneath her-

Vanille threw herself back, flailing, forcing her own body to stand down, even when the hot, steady tears began to stream into her line of vision, down across her face.

Hoarse, shuddery breaths rose up above the water's surface, before Hope staggered back up to his knees, clutching around his throat.

"Hope?!" Vanille's voice crumbled into sharp little cries and shudders, and she suddenly hugged herself tightly, before the trembling overtook her. "Hope..?!"

He struggled to catch even a lone, single breath, and then finally inhaled, before he let his hands move down, away from his bruised, swollen neck. "...Vanille?"

"_W-why-?_" Vanille felt a searing in her lungs, swelling beneath her chest, before she let out a choked, ragged sob. "_Why_, did they..? _They_ were-!"

Hope waded out through the water, over to her side. "I'm _sorry_\- I'm so, _so_ sorry, he just-!"

She shook her head back and forth, until her neck almost ached from the motion. "It wasn't _us_... It _wasn't_ us, we'd _never_-!" She leaned forward, suddenly, to cry against his shoulder, hugging him close.

Hope felt his own vision well up as well, and his body shook, but he struggled to keep himself silent.

Vanille closed her eyes tight, and then sniffled, crying between each shaky word. "She... She just got so _mad_..."

Hope felt the rush of adrenaline still churning in his veins, the burn of each deep, bleeding cut, and before long he couldn't keep back the sobs from his throat, but when Vanille hugged him even tighter, he clamped his mouth shut, holding it in.

"We're okay, we're _okay_-!" She repeated it again, then again, over and over, until her voice had stopped shaking, and she could whisper again, steadier than a moment before. "Hope, we're okay... They _stopped_."

"Y-yeah..." For a moment, he almost tried to reach out to within his thoughts, over to where he knew Three was probably glowering, insanely furious at the entire ordeal, but Hope quickly stopped himself, and whispered, eyes wide. "They... They lost _control_, didn't they?"

Vanille let herself lean back, wiping her wrist against the tears on her face, before she nodded. "I'd seen it, when Lighting was... She thought she was gonna lose herself, too, but I'd never felt _anything_ like it before."

When Hope felt his eyes tear up again, he would have flushed if his carapace been capable of it, but he simply glanced away, quickly rubbing at his face.

"Hope, it's okay..." Vanille sniffled a bit. "You can cry, it's okay."

Hope covered his eyes with his hands.

"It was scary... We _should_ be crying." Vanille took a deep, shuddery breath. "We, we've gotta talk to someone about this, and try to... I don't _know_, but I just _couldn't_ take back control... And I can't let that happen again."

"I, I couldn't, _either_-" Hope finally let himself sob out loud, although it was a bit quieter than before, almost down to a whisper. "They just started _fighting_, and-" He inhaled sharply through his nose, before he let his hands fall down to his lap. "-And I _couldn't_ make him _stop_..."

Vanille watched Hope shiver to himself, then after a long, silent moment, she held out her arms. "But... We're okay now."

He moved to let her hug him again, shaking quietly, and his breath became more and more hoarse. She held on, silently, until it felt like he couldn't possibly cry anymore.

"We're okay." Vanille whispered it for both of them, again and again, until she could finally look down at her neck and not see a steady trickle of blood. "We're okay... We're going to be okay."

* * *

A gentle wind rolled out across the grassland, but it was almost silent, not enough to break the soft, constant flow of words, read aloud from a book within Fang's hands.

"And it was then that we came upon the encampment; it was a wide, sprawling place filled with more tents and people than I could possibly count..." Fang was leaning back beneath the shade of a lone baobab tree, resting against the trunk, while Lightning had long since cuddled up against her chest. "There were many, many enclosures below, with numerous horses inside, and I could see several arenas dug into the earth itself. I must have counted at least fifty racks of weapons within the first few minutes, but when my brother suddenly urged our own horse down into the valley, almost beyond Titan's watch, I remember shouting for him to stop... But then, I caught sight of it."

Lightning opened her eyes when Odin walked over to press his head against her wrist. She looked down to see quite a bit of dust upon her feet, and she knew that their trail of footprints must have extended beside the riverbed for a least a mile, by then.

"I could see them dueling within a shallow dugout, just beside the tents; my brother was _enraptured_ in the motion, the constant flow of limbs and knives, of blood scattering all throughout the air." Fang paused to turn the page. "I realized then that Titan had ridden his horse down beside ours in mere moments, because he quickly explained to me that he knew those two combatants personally, and that they were brothers, like us... Only fueled by a vicious, lifelong rivalry."

With a short bounce, Odin scampered off to chase a flapping butterfly.

"It was then, that I swore to myself, as I watched one of them finally fall, bleeding out against the earth below, that I would never harbor such hatred towards my brother, or any other of my kinsmen." Fang adjusted the book in her hands. "Although now, I must admit that such an oath was definitely put to the test, for within the coming months..."

* * *

They had all taken to calling him the ox, or even 'the kindly bull', for his horns resembled just such a beast, almost as much as his tall, imposing stature.

He stood amid a massive group of soldiers, and although he was just as tall as nearly all of them, the youth in his face was far too apparent to miss.

"We'll make for the eastern pass by dawn." The stubble upon Titan's chin was nearly starting to go gray, but none dared mention a word of it, for his might was still just as legendary as it had been for many, many years. "Haerii's men think us _weakened_ by our recent change of pace..." He leaned on his elbow to examine a map, spread out across the wooden table. "So we'll just have to teach them the error of complacency." There was a single, deafening call shared throughout the entire crowd, before Titan rose up to his full height. "Dismissed."

Ox could only watch as the crowd around him begin to disperse, moving out into the wide, sprawling network of tents and horse paddocks, but he himself kept perfectly still, while another, familiar figure did the very same thing from beside him.

Titan looked up to face the rising moon, and though the sky was still brightened by the daylight, the sun itself was quickly approaching the horizon. "I think that you both know-" He paused, only for a moment, to count the number of seconds between blows in a nearby sparring match. "...Why you were told to wait and speak with me."

Ox kept utterly silent.

"How many weeks has it been..?" Titan brushed his hand along the side of the table, gazing back down at the map. "To be honest, I expected at least one of you to run home crying within the first few days... Not that you'd be welcomed back there." His gaze slid away from the table, to the horns atop each of their heads, and then down to short, yet powerful claws that lay upon their fingertips. "But _no_, you had to take that challenge... Had to actually resemble something, something like a cooperative member of society."

Still, the two boys said nothing.

"How old are each of you?"

Ox finally spoke. "We're twins, Commander." He tried not to glance away when Titan narrowed his eyes. "Not identical... But we were born on the same night."

Snake, for he was still just as lanky as he had been many weeks previous, began to speak. "We're fifteen, but I'm a few minutes older."

Titan lifted his hand from the table. "Fifteen... Old enough to take a few steps out from the training field, I would think."

Ox tried to ignore the trembling in his arms.

"Yes, I think so." Titan moved to gaze up at the moon again, stroking his chin. "_'A half-moon that rises amid the fire, such halidom tells of a coming victory'_..." He nodded, slowly, gazing up at the pale white figure that rose within the vibrant, cloud-streaked sky. "If you believe what the sages say."

"Then we'll be going with you tomorrow?" Snake clenched his fingertips down into fists, then back again. "I think... I think I'm ready for it."

"Maybe you are." Titan smiled up at the moon. "Maybe you aren't... Either way, you'll both have the chance to prove it by tomorrow." He lifted his hand to dismiss them, but after a mere moment, he spoke once more. "A Yun can earn his title by trial of fire."

Snake turned back to stare at him, wide-eyed.

"Maybe we'll soon have something new to call you." Titan strode off without another word.

* * *

My brother and I would barely be able to sleep that night, even if the people all around us hadn't been making so much noise. I could hear him tossing and turning in his bunk, and it would be a lie if I said I hadn't done the same.

But, a _name_, one of my very own... We had been dreaming of it ever since the elders told us of our mother's fate.

In those weeks, I had put everything into honing myself with the blade, the spear, and we even trained with weapons that I had never heard the name of beforehand, but _now_, now that I was facing this, facing the chance to prove myself...

I can see now that my student is looking back at me, only with a different sort of gaze, for he himself has not earned his own name... Not quite yet.

We were finally, _finally_ going to war, but we soon learned that it was nothing like we might have expected.


	26. Chapter 26

"Alright... Now try to tell me exactly what happened." Serah began to set down some glasses upon the kitchen table, before she took a seat upon one of the chairs. "I remember last night; you said that you were going to try and go swimming down at the pond."

Vanille couldn't stop fidgeting, and she frowned, nodding her head. "Yeah... We did go over there, but then we thought that it might be a good idea to help Four not worry about it so much, but once she started talking with Three..."

Hope stared down at his hands. "They just started _fighting..._ Neither of us could stop it."

Serah began to pull a pitcher of lemonade over towards the glasses, before she lifted it up to pour some out. "Okay, 'fighting', as in..?"

Vanille nodded again. "We got pretty roughed up, but it healed fast... I just, I don't know what to _do_; what if they start losing control of themselves now?" Her gaze darted off to the side, even when Serah put a glass of lemonade down in front of her. "What if _we-?"_

Serah kept her voice even and calm. "Vanille."

After a moment, Vanille looked back up again.

"I just want you to try and tell me _exactly_ what they were saying, okay?" Serah set down another glass near where Hope was sitting. "If this was just a squabble, I really don't think we need to start panicking." She looked at each of them, before leaned forward in her seat. "Okay, _deep_ breaths."

Both Vanille and Hope tried to do just that, and after a long, silent moment, Serah began to pour out a glass of lemonade for herself. "Now, try and tell me what they said."

Hope slowly reached for his glass. "It was just normal conversation, at first... You know, talking about how we were going to try and keep a close eye on things, to make sure it's safe to even shift like this."

Vanille nodded. "And it was going okay at first, but then Four started feeling so _scared;_ I could feel everything like it was happening to myself..." She glanced over at the kitchen window, before something brushed up against it from outside. "But then, she started to get _real_ angry at Three."

Hope nodded, slowly. "She said he was being arrogant... And I guess that we both were, a little bit." He glanced down at his hands, and then traced his finger against the condensation on the side of his glass. "I didn't really consider that it might be so out of our control."

Serah gave him a tiny smile. "That's very mature of you, Hope."

He only shrugged. "It's just the truth... We really don't know if something like this could backfire or not."

Outside the kitchen, the hallway door creaked open, and after a moment, it swung shut with a click. Snow strode in from the hall, wearing a pair of bright blue gardening gloves. "Oh... Hey kiddos!" He smiled at them both, before he tugged off the gloves, setting them down against the kitchen counter. "I didn't know Hope was coming over to visit, too."

Serah smiled at him, watching as he walked over towards the refrigerator. "Yeah... Hey, we have a bit of a conundrum, here."

Snow pulled open the refrigerator door for a bottle of water, which he uncapped with a swift twist of his fingertips. "How so?"

Serah pointed at the chair beside her, gesturing for him to sit down as well. "Well, it sounds like Three and Four had quite the difference of opinion, and it led to what sounds like a nasty fight."

"Huh..." Snow began to frown, but quickly moved to take a seat at the table. "How exactly did they _have_ a fight..?"

Vanille took a deep breath. "We let them take control, so they could talk to each other."

Snow kept quiet for a moment, before he set down his water bottle upon the table. "Uh... I've never really had that much contact with Two, but it probably isn't a great idea to let them take over like that."

Serah reached out to tap her fingertips against the tablecloth, thinking the issue over in her head. "...I think they need to apologize to each other." She looked up at both Vanille and Hope. "Now don't give me that look."

Hope tried not to widen his eyes. "Are you _serious?!_ They could start _fighting_ again, or-"

"The only way to get over bad feelings like that is to let them go." Serah looked out into each of the eyes gazing back at her, deep into the vibrant rings of orange, the long streaks of color that she had glimpsed so often before. "...When Lightning and I were kids, whenever we would get upset with each other, our mom would tell us to go and calm down for a while, but then she'd have us immediately talk out the problem and apologize." She pointed at Hope and Vanille, at the horns atop their heads. "So, I think the two of _them_ should do the same."

Slowly, Vanille shook her head. "But, Serah, if they-" She felt herself grow silent, gazing down at the pale scars along Serah's wrist, where several tiny indentations still remained. "If they start fighting again..."

Serah only smiled. "Snow, do me a favor?"

He nodded at her. "Sure?"

"Go upstairs and shift, okay?" Serah tried not to giggle. "Then come back, with a really _stern_ look, and be all growly about it."

After a moment, Snow almost blushed, but he slowly rose to his feet and made for the kitchen entrance. "_Way_ too early for this..."

Serah made a low hushing sound, swatting at the side of his arm. "Not like _that!_"

Both Hope and Vanille had to fight both muffled laughter and incredulous stares, but before long, as instructed... Snow returned with a rather strict look in his eyes, before his forehead promptly smacked against the archway that led towards the hall.

"_Oh!_" Serah raced up to try and reach for where he had bashed his head, but even on her tiptoes, Snow's bestial form towered over all of them, while his horns nearly scraped against the low ceiling. "Are you alright? That sounded painful..."

After a brief moment, Snow shook away the dizziness from his head. "Nah, it's nothing." He reached up to tap at his face. "Skull of _steel_, right here..."

Serah frowned, gazing at the tiny dent in the wooden archway. "Oh, _Snow_..."

Snow fled back into the kitchen. "Sorry! I'll try and fix it later, okay?"

Serah still frowned at the damage. "We might just have to replace it..." Slowly, she shook her head, and then walked back to retake her seat. "...Okay, here's how this is gonna work." Serah reached out to point at both Vanille and Hope. "They can hear me from in there, right? This is very a _silly_ thing to hurt each other over, so I need the two of you need to _apologize_ and promise not to do it again."

"They can hear you, but-" Hope almost reached up to touch at his horns. "I haven't tried talking to him yet; he was so angry before..."

Serah nodded at Snow. "_Growly_."

Snow blinked once, before he began to reveal his teeth with a rather unenthusiastic growl.

Vanille forced herself not to laugh, and she began to visualize the words in her mind. _Four, does this sound okay to you?_

It was a long while before Four answered, but there was a sharpness to her tone, still grumbling over metaphorical wounds. _Only if __**he's**__ willing to do it, too._

Vanille looked over at Hope. "Is Three okay with this?"

Hope kept quiet for a moment. "He says he'll do it if Four does."

Vanille began to nod. "Then... Let's try it." She glanced over at Serah and Snow, before she lowered her voice to a whisper. "If a fight _does_ break out..."

Snow shook his head. "Nah, I'll just _hug_ you both 'til they stop squabbling." There was a bit of laughter to his words, but when Vanille looked at the way he was sitting right beside Serah, watching their every move, she knew that he was ready to stand in between them at even the slightest hint of violence.

Vanille looked down at herself, at how much smaller her human form was than anything otherwise, before slowly, she squeezed her eyes shut. _I swear to... To heck, if you try to shift and then end up tearing a hole in my clothes..._

_I won't, I won't... _Four began to answer her with an almost exhausted sort of tone. _But if he tries any funny business, first..._

Vanille grit her teeth, and then slowly, _carefully_ let herself go limp, before she felt the gradual, creeping sensation of her body being manipulated... And her eyes slid open again.

She could see Serah staring back at her. "Vanille, did it go okay?"

Her mouth opened to speak. "...Not Vanille." It was a dry, deeper tone, and Vanille's eyes flicked over towards where Snow was sitting, but it was Four who had turned them there.

Hope's body went completely still for a moment, but then his eyes began to move as well, slowly narrowing in Four's direction.

Serah looked at each of them. "Okay, Three and Four?"

After a moment, Three nodded, but Four simply stared off into the distance, trying to keep her fists from trembling.

"I'll take that as a yes..." Serah gave them both a soft, almost wistful smile. "I heard that you guys had a bit of a scuffle today, didn't you?"

"_She_ started it..." Three kept his voice to a low, rumbling growl. "It was all going _fine_ until she started panicking about _nothing_-"

"Three." Serah raised her tone. "We aren't pointing fingers right now, we're making amends." She waited for him to look her in the eye. "It doesn't matter what might have started a problem, or even _who_, all that matters is that you both realize just how much we love Vanille and Hope... Which includes the two of you, in a way." Serah folded her hands together. "We won't just sit around and let you hurt each other."

Four looked up at her with a tiny frown. "Love..?"

"Yes." Serah leaned forward, slightly. "And even though we're having kids of our own, that doesn't make you two any less a part of our family... I can tell you this, I will _not_ put up with my family getting hurt, not from anyone."

Three slowly closed his eyes. "...Alright."

Serah glanced over at Four. "And how about you?"

Four began to nod, but she kept staring off into the distance, hugging her arms against her chest.

"C'mon, kids..." Snow stood up on his hind legs, although he had to lean down a bit to not knock his horns against the ceiling. "All you have to do is _apologize_, and then it's over." He nodded at both of them. "We're here to help you, okay? If this 'new shifting' business turns out to have any problems... You just come back here and we'll try to fix it up."

Four tried not to let her eyes water. "Okay..."

Three let his shoulders relax. "I'm- I'm sorry, for today."

Four began to nod, rubbing at her eyes. "...I'm sorry, too."

"Then that's that." Serah grinned as she reached for her lemonade again. "Now, take another deep breath or two, and just let the problem go."

* * *

Fang closed the book in her hands, before she leaned her head back against the bark of the tree, simply listening to the world around her. Swiveling her ears, she caught the warm, gentle wind, and then the sound of the flowing river, before she started to focus upon the gentle sound of breathing against her neck, where Lightning was still at rest.

"...Chapter's done?"

Fang nodded. "He sure knew where to put a cliffhanger." She took a long, deep breath of the dusty air, but suddenly, a distant scent caught her attention, something _strong_, acrid, and- "Light?"

Lightning opened her eyes.

"I think... I smell the highway again."

Lightning inhaled, testing for it. "You've got the better nose..."

Fang lifted the book, careful not to poke at the leather cover with her claws. "Time for us to finally rejoin civilization?"

Lightning yawned, before she accepted the memoir, taking it into one hand. "Hardly... We'll probably have to follow it for miles, still." She reached over for her satchel, and then slipped the book inside. "If we're lucky, we might pass by a farm or some old ruins, maybe even an outpost... But that'll be all for a while."

"You'd know it better than I would." Fang started to stretch out her arms, far above her head. "Haven't really seen too much of southern Cocoon..."

Lightning glanced around, searching the riverside for any sign of Odin. "Out here, it's mostly just farmland or desert." She slowly rose up to her feet. "Odin? He'd better not have run off..."

It was only a moment or two before the tiny kitten appeared, although he was carrying something in his teeth, and he had a slight bounce to his step.

Fang leaned over to see what it was. "Well, would you look at that..."

A tiny rodent dangled from Odin's mouth, but he quickly raced over to Lightning's feet and set it down, mewling at her from the top of his lungs.

"I had a feeling he'd catch something before long." Fang began to stand up, and she stretched out her arms again. "Good job, little guy."

Odin began to paw at Lightning's hind claws, before he started to scamper back and forth between her legs, until she finally knelt down to pet him.

"Uh, yeah..." Lightning wrinkled her nostrils at the scent of dead rodent. "Good job?"

Odin closed his eyes with a mighty purr.

"...Want me to chuck it in the river?"

Lightning exhaled. "_Please_, just don't let him see it..." She lifted Odin up into her arms, carrying him off behind the baobab tree. "I don't want to hurt his feelings, if he- I mean, if it was a _gift_-"

Fang nodded with a quiet laugh. "No worries, Odin... I'm just gonna _snack_ on this real quick." She wound her arm back, and then flung the little creature off, where it landed deep within the rushing water. "What a _good_ little hunter! That didn't smell awful at all... Those fish are gonna love it."

Lightning soon returned from behind the tree, while Odin was perched atop her shoulder, gnawing down on a lock of her hair. "Let's see if we can find that highway of yours."

Fang followed after them, but not before she reached down to grab her own satchel. "Smelled almost like motor oil, so I have a pretty good feeling about it." She soon lowered herself down to all fours, breaking off into run, while Lightning did the same, only after she had wrangled Odin into her bag. "Coming, Light?"

Lightning ran out in full strides, quickly overtaking Fang's pace, although her satchel remained quite stable against the side of her chest. "...Catch to up if you can."

Fang let out a dry laugh. "Leaving me behind? How _considerate_."

Lightning soon slowed, nearing the top of a hill; it was one that lay just beside the river, and she quickly drew to a halt. "Well, there's your highway..."

Fang ran up the incline stand beside her, before she caught sight of the long, winding road, barren of any vehicles, at least within visible distance.

Lightning felt the wind push her hair aside, out beyond the back of her neck, and slowly she rose up even taller, until the breeze was gathering all around her.

"Ready to go?"

Lightning took a deep breath, and then nodded. "Time to go."

* * *

A warm wind pushed the curtains back and forth, but the window itself was only slightly open. There was movement from beyond the glass, of people standing together with bowls, boxes, and various kitchen utensils.

"Now this is the best part..." Serah held a clump of dough between her hands, and her fingertips were almost completely covered by a light layer of flour. "You've got to knead it gently, but not _too_ gently."

Snow almost started to mention the innuendo, but he quickly thought the better of it.

"I've never done this before." Hope looked down at the dough that Serah had given him. "So, you just..?"

Serah moved to press a bit of the dough down against the counter-top, which was also coated in flour. "Just like this."

Vanille stood off to the side, and she already lining up a row of round, kneaded rolls atop a sheet of parchment paper.

Serah smiled, speaking while she worked. "My mother would have a baking day at least every other week, and that meant we'd _always_ have fresh bread in the house... Light would sometimes just eat it plain, but I would always put butter and jelly on it, or whatever else we had in the fridge."

Vanille giggled. "What about sandwiches?"

"Well, of _course_..." Serah could feel the bits of flour between her fingertips, but it didn't quite bother her, even though it did start to itch a little. "You can't bake bread without making a few sandwiches, can you?"

Snow reached over set down a rounded roll on a nearby tray, before he grabbed for a bit more dough. "I'll be sure to pick up some lunch-meat next time I'm at the store." He started to knead out another roll, quickly creating the desired shape and texture. "Think we'll have to wait long for those..?" Snow pointed at the trays that were already within the heat of the oven, ones that held much larger amounts of dough. "We could always just stick these in the fridge if they aren't ready by then."

Serah set down another finished roll, before she walked down to examine the trays. "It hasn't risen yet, so we might just have to do that..." She suddenly paused, reaching for the swell of her belly, and soon, a tiny smile crept over her face.

"Serah?" Snow moved over as well. "_Serah_..."

Serah shook her head. "They're just kicking..." She laughed quietly. "They probably want all of this to be over and done with so _they_ can have sandwiches, too."

Serah positioned Snow's hand atop her stomach, and he smiled broadly. "Wow." His gaze went very distant when a kick landed directly against his palm. "I think you might be right about that..."

Vanille skipped across the kitchen with a full tray of rolls. "Fridge?"

Serah looked up and nodded. "Yeah, I might just send the two of you home with your own raw dozen, to make later on." She carefully began to walk over towards one of the chairs, before she sat down with a soft, gentle sigh. "Can't stay on my feet for too long, these days..."

Snow stepped over to clean some of the flour from atop the counter. "Just take it easy."

Serah nodded. "I will." She smiled, touching her belly again when yet another kick made itself known, and after a moment, Serah closed her eyes. "Won't be too long, now..."

* * *

The road stretched on into the distance, and with each and every hour that seemed to pass, it almost felt as if there might be no end to it in sight. Although they passed by an occasional lone cactus, or even a tuft of grass, the sprawling, grass-covered plains had all but disappeared.

"Fang..?" Lightning was panting slightly, and she glanced over at the setting sun. "Fang, I need to rest for a minute."

Fang slowed to a halt beside the highway, and Lightning noticed that she was breathing quite heavily as well. "Yeah... Let's rest."

Lightning knelt down against the dusty earth. "Told you, it's just desert out here..." She reached for the clasp of her satchel. "I mean, we'll eventually see some farmland, but out here, they need a constant water source just to operate."

Fang eyed the canteen in Lightning's grasp. "Water?"

Lightning nodded, handing it over. "Drink."

Fang accepted the flask with a low, breathy chuckle. "From the trading post, wasn't it?" Although the liquid felt warm and stale against her tongue, Fang didn't voice any complaints. "Smart choice."

Lightning nodded once Fang handed it back. "I had a feeling it would come in handy." She began to pour out a bit of the water into one of their empty fruit tins, before she set it down on the ground for Odin, who started to lap it up immediately. "We'll definitely need to stick to the road from now on, at least until we reach somewhere more temperate."

Fang watched while Lightning drank her own share from the canteen. "How far do you reckon we've gone?" She turned to face the north, but she could make out barely anything besides the rising waves of heat, which hovered about the horizon. "Wish we had a map of this place..."

Lightning slowly shook her head. "We hit terrain without any grass just around an hour ago, so we're right on the edge of the badlands." She started to twist the cap back onto the canteen, before she leaned over to draw a rudimentary sketch into the ground. "If this is the border..." Lightning traced her claw horizontally, and then in an upward path, towards the east, which would soon create the seacoast. "Then the desert begins right around here."

Fang looked down at the curving line, which seemed to be several miles north from the border of Gran Pulse, but when Lightning drew out a tiny star to indicate where Bodhum was, she realized just how far they had yet to travel.

Lightning dropped the canteen back inside her satchel. "We should make some more distance before dark."

Fang nodded. "You feeling alright?"

Lightning lifted Odin up into her hands, wrestling him back down into the bag as well. "I just needed to catch my breath." She stood up and clipped the satchel shut, although she ignored the cranky mewls and scratching that came from within. "...I think I might just loan him off to Serah; she's always wanted a cat."

Fang paused, if only for a moment, before she lowered her voice down a bit. "Light, Vanille said something a little strange the last time I talked to her..."

Lightning let out a sigh. "Serah had this tone to her voice." She started to walk forward, waving for Fang to follow. "Something's definitely up, but if it was urgent, she would've spilled the beans right then and there..." Lightning slowly eased out into a full run. "A while before we left, I made Serah promise that we wouldn't have any more big secrets between us... Not after all that happened."

Fang felt the urge to frown, but she followed closely after Lightning. "This might be a big one."

Lightning kept on running.

Fang sighed, breathing into the wind. "I mean, I'd haul _both_ of our butts back up there if I so much as sniffed a bit of danger..." She soon copied Lightning's pace, running in almost perfect time. "But you know, with her and Snow, them being married and all-"

Lightning shook her head back and forth. "I don't even want to think about my sister's personal... Stuff."

"Just... Keep an open mind." Fang stared up at the road ahead, but after a while, she almost swore she could see something on the horizon. "If we come back and they've got more than just the two of them-"

"_Fang_." Lightning shook her head again. "I'd _really_ rather not think about it..."

"Not a fan of kids?"

Lightning rolled her eyes. "Not unless their names are Hope and Vanille... Or Dajh, for that matter."

Fang chuckled at the thought of Sazh, back up in Bodhum. "Wonder how the old boy's doing..."

"Probably _enjoying_ retirement." Lightning squinted at something small, just up ahead, although it was much more defined than the rest of the barren environment. "Fang... You see that?"

"Yeah." Fang began to slow down, still running, though at a quieter pace. "Almost looks like-" She saw it then, the stray, flat tire set down just beside a motionless car, and then umbrella, propped up to shelter several figures from the sun. "People."

Lightning drew to a halt. "They're stuck out here..?"

Fang paused as well, examining the upturned hood of the car, which had been parked just beside the edge of the road. "Looks like it."

Lightning glanced away for a moment, closing her nostrils as tightly as she could. "Do you want to ask if they need help?"

Fang sighed. "Yeah... Let's just hope they don't come at us with _pitchforks_." She started to walk again, only upright, on her hind legs, slowly approaching the distant vehicle. "Get ready to bail if they do."

Lightning kept a good distance behind Fang, with keen, narrowed eyes.

Several minutes ticked by before they could make out each of the individual figures; a man and woman were standing near the front of the car, while four smaller people, ranging from children, to what looked like young teens, sat beneath the umbrella.

Fang steadied herself, and slowly, kept walking forward.

It was only a moment before one of the children looked up and noticed them, but when it happened, the little boy merely sprinted off towards the front of the car, whispering to his parents.

"Now's not the time for jokes, Thomas..." His father was elbow deep in the engine, with an oily rag slung over his shoulder.

Suddenly, the mother glanced up. "James, _look_."

The father, presumably called James, yanked at something in the engine with a wrench, but when he finally rose back up to catch sight of the tall, unfamiliar figures, a toothpick fell down from between his teeth.

Slowly, Fang knelt down against the pavement, resting on her hind legs. "...Engine trouble?"

James stood upright with widened eyes, scarcely pausing to blink. "I'll be _damned_... You're the one from the news." He then glanced over to see Lightning, who was standing quite a bit further away. "You, you're the poor girls from the _news_..."

Fang chuckled quietly. "'_Poor girls'..? _That's a new one."

James shook his head back and forth. "No, _not-_ I'm sorry, it's just strange to see something, _so_-" He glanced over to see the expressions on each of his children's faces, from went from shock to silent fear, and even a look of wonder on a few.

"We're weird, I know." Fang's tail curled up beside her feet. "But, I'm pretty sure that my friend knows her way around an engine if you need a hand."

Lightning's ears perked up, and when suddenly Odin managed to squeeze his head out from the cover of her satchel, two of the younger children began to laugh, pointing at the tiny kitten.

Their mother took a few paces forward, to where Fang sat. "I'm Alice... It's nice to meet you."

Fang reached over to accept the handshake, although her hand was a great deal larger than Alice's. "Same here, the name's Fang." She glanced back over her shoulder. "Light, come on over."

Lightning began to walk forward, slowly, before she opened her satchel to let Odin leap out onto the road.

The two younger children squealed at the sight of him, before they crouched down, holding out their hands for the little kitten, until he had crept up to sniff at their fingers.

"And this is Lightning." Fang pointed over her shoulder. "From what she's told me about previous jobs... She once worked in an auto-shop for a couple summers."

"An internship, technically." Lightning accepted a handshake from Alice, and then James. "But, if there's something fixable in there..."

James led her over to the front of the car. "I'd been worrying about it getting overheated, and then once the tire blew out..."

Lightning leaned forward, squinting down at the engine. "Let's take a look."

Fang glanced over to where the children were petting Odin's fur, and she began to sit down as well, folding her legs against the pavement. "His name is Odin."

"_Odin?_" The little girl with pigtails began to giggle. "Like the knightstories!"

Her brother, the one that their father had called 'Thomas', started to mumble under his breath. "Odin, the knight? But he's just a kitty..."

Fang chuckled. "A very _brave_ kitty, I'll let you know..." She held one of her hands out, and Odin raced over to rub his face against it. "This little guy was jumping all the way up in a _big_ acacia tree, just last night."

The little girl paused. "How tall's an... An a-kay-sha?"

Fang drew her hand away, and Odin ran back over to the children. "Very, _very_ tall... We had to climb up there with just our claws." She watched as the little girl moved to pet Odin again. "My name's Fang."

Thomas reached over to touch around the edge of Odin's ears."I'm Thomas."

The little girl smiled. "My name's Sam!"

Fang nodded at them. "It's real nice to meet the two of you." She briefly became aware of how their mother and older siblings were watching her every move, from over at the front of the car, but Fang kept her gaze focused on what Odin was doing. "I really hope that my friend can help fix up your car."

Thomas stared up at her horns. "We saw you guys on the news."

Fang almost laughed. "Yeah, they liked following us around for a while..." She let her ears droop down against her head. "You might have seen some of our friends on the news, too."

Sam nodded her head, up and down. "There were a lot!"

"A lot, huh..?" Fang glanced over when something suddenly rumbled within the engine, and when the taillights came alight with a sharp flicker, nearly everyone let out a cheer.

James reached over to shake Lightning's hand again, although they were both quite covered in oil. "_Thank you_."

Lightning nodded a little, trying to keep his skin from accidentally touching the points of her claws. "Don't mention it..."

"Now, have you girls been _walking_ this whole way?" Alice tipped her head to examine the sari wrapped around Lightning's chest. "You _couldn't_ have been walking, not _all_ the way..."

"We have." Lightning reached up to adjust the strap of her satchel. "We can get pretty fast when we run... We've been living off the land for a while, so to speak."

Alice tried her best not to look mortified. "No car?"

Lightning shook her head.

Alice shared a glance with her husband. "We'll give you a ride into town."

Fang stood up, then, glancing over at Lightning. "Well..."

Lightning turned to face the car, which looked to be a rather roomy minivan, although the trunk already had quite a bit of cargo within. "Only if it's not any trouble."

"Not at all!" Alice waved her hand towards the teenagers. "Curtis, Erin! Try to clear out some space in the back, please."

The pair of them exchanged a brief, silent glance, but they soon walked off towards the trunk without complaint.

James reached up to along the side of the van. "We might've been stuck out here for _hours_, so it's the least we can do."

Lightning reached down once Odin ran up to her feet, before she lifted him up into her arms. "I'll make sure that he doesn't scratch anything."

Alice laughed, and she reached out to stroke behind Odin's ears. "When you have four children, Lightning... Scratches are the very least of your worries."


	27. Chapter 27

The sunlight was steadily fading by the time they had hauled a replacement tire out from the trunk, and once it was finally attached to the van itself, the desert was entirely cloaked in dark.

"Alrighty then! Time to get going." Alice walked over to fold up the large umbrella, gesturing for her younger children to pick up the blankets on the ground. "How's the trunk looking?"

Erin, one of the teens, shrugged at her from within the van. "Maybe if _some_ people hadn't gone hog-wild with souvenirs..."

Lightning turned to examine the available space. "If there isn't enough-"

"No, it's alright..." The other teen, Curtis, was shoving at a couple of suitcases, which sent them down into the storage space where the spare tire had been. "We can hitch the flat up to the roof, then we'll have more than enough room." He jumped down from the trunk with a length of vinyl rope, which he tossed over towards his sister.

Fang looked over at the stray tire, before she started to walk up beside it. "I'll lift, you guys tie?" She hoisted the tire up into her arms, and then Erin walked over to twine the rope around it, in and out of the center.

Then, they positioned it up against the minivan itself, before Fang stood up as tall as she could, pushing the tire to rest against the very center of the roof. Both Curtis and Erin began to toss the rope back and forth over the van, simultaneously tying down the ends against the roof rack, until the tire was completely secure.

Lightning stood a short distance away. She watched as both of the younger children helped their mother pack up the umbrella, and then each of the blankets, before Lightning looked over towards their father, who was finishing up near the front of the car. She kept completely still for a while, just to take in the sight of a large, cooperating family, and she couldn't help but think of her own, back in Bodhum.

Alice began to herd the youngsters back up into their car-seats, but soon, both Sam and Thomas were starting to whine about something, so with a sigh, Alice glanced over her shoulder. "Quick question..."

Lightning nodded. "Yeah?"

"Would it be alright if the kitten rode with them, for now?" Alice glanced over at Odin. "We'll keep the van going slow, although there's hardly anyone else on these roads this time of year."

Lightning walked forward, and she passed Odin over to the seated children, who practically squealed in delight. At the shrill noise, she felt her ears start to flatten against her head, but as grating as it was, when she saw the way that Odin mewled and rolled over on his back to receive more petting... It was enough to make her feel like smiling.

Fang waved at her from the trunk. "Light, come see this."

Lightning turned, and she then started over towards the back of the van. "What is it?"

"Just take a look..." Fang began to fold up a contraption, which could secure itself against the side of the car, allowing extra seats to be propped up in the back. "Now we won't have to get jostled around."

Lightning slowly climbed up into the trunk, before she took a seat on the opposite side from Fang. "That is pretty neat..."

James had moved over towards the trunk as well. "Now just holler if anything falls over, okay?" He pointed at the pile of luggage beside them. "And you two are headed north, right? We're heading up to Whitestone for now, but we'll eventually be passing through Luxerion."

Lightning nodded at him. "We'll have to part ways at Whitestone; Luxerion is too far west for where we're going."

"Alrighty." James reached up to tug the hatch shut, but he soon reappeared at the front of the car, opening the door to take his seat at the wheel. "Everyone strapped in?"

His children all spoke up in confirmation, and Lightning moved to secure her own seat-belt as well. "Fang, strap in."

Fang only leaned back against the seat, stretching her arms out against the windowsill. "Light, there's been nobody on the road for _miles_... And we're practically indestructible."

Lightning looked away, silent for a moment. "Please."

Fang tilted her head slightly, trying to examine the look in Lightning's eyes, before she reached for her own seat-belt.

Lightning whispered a low, gentle _'thank you',_ but her voice was barely even audible over the sudden rumble of the engine. She looked down at herself, before she felt Fang reach over and hold her hand.

The family had settled down into conversation. Near the front, the younger children were babbling away and fawning over Odin, while their parents were quietly discussing the rest of the trip, how they hoped that there wouldn't be any traffic delays, bad weather, and other such matters; the teens mostly kept silent, tapping against the screens of their phones, until one of them suddenly spoke up.

"So... Why were you guys out here in the first place?" Erin glanced over her shoulder at them. "Can't imagine living in the desert."

Fang chuckled. "We just got there, actually." She moved to adjust her feet, which were resting just beside Lightning's knees, for there was little room for either of them to stretch out their legs. "We've been living out in Gran Pulse for a while... A couple years, in fact, for a change of pace."

Curtis looked over at them, too. "We just got back from one of the coastal resorts down there."

Fang held her tongue, not quite willing to inform him that the territory he was likely thinking of was in fact, owned by Cocoon.

Lightning started to lean back against the seat, and she slowly closed her eyes. "I haven't been in a car in ages..." She thought back to the time when Serah was driving them both to purchase clothing for the wedding, and how it had been the first time in months where it was just the two of them again, chatting and listening to music on the radio.

She remembered, Serah had started to laugh when Lightning suggested that they find the most obnoxious sort of dresses to wear, or plan the whole wedding them in gaudy colors... Or even when she jabbed at Snow for proposing to her on what could have very well been his deathbed, and for every dry, deadpan line that she managed to come up with, Serah would only start to giggle even harder.

"You okay, Light?"

Slowly, Lightning drifted back to the present. "...Yeah."

Fang squeezed her hand a bit tighter. "You look ready to fall asleep."

Lightning fought back a yawn, shaking her head. "I was just thinking." She glanced up at the window behind Fang, at the wide, distant mountain range, beyond which the desert became even more desolate. "I just want to see Serah again; I want to make sure she's been _happy_... Things change over time, and I can't help but worry if she's been okay."

Fang began to nod. "But I wouldn't worry _too_ much... She and Snow aren't the type to grow distant, you know..? Remember when he went to Eden for all that time?"

Lightning tried not to think back to those days, to the constant, desperate drive for blood, and the _anger_, sapping away almost every scrap of control she could muster. "I remember."

"They were so damn happy, just to _see_ each other again..." Fang stared off into the distance. "When he picked her up and spun them both around, I almost got a few cavities right then and there."

Lightning brushed her thumb against the side of Fang's hand. "I just hope they're doing alright."

Alice called out from the front. "Family back at home?"

"Yeah..." Fang looked up, over each row of seats, to look in the rear-view mirror. "Light's sister got married just a few months before we came out here."

"Ah, congratulations..." Alice smiled at them. "It's worth all the time and love you put into it; when I look back over the years, I just can't imagine not having my family as it is."

Erin rolled her eyes. "Mom, don't make everyone barf..."

"Don't be a brat, and you won't have to..." Alice grinned. "_Teenagers,_ gotta love 'em."

Fang held back a laugh. "Sometimes I wonder how I didn't get clobbered, back when I was a kid... I had one heck of a mouth, and it got me into trouble more times than I can count." She stretched her arms out, yawning quietly. "But I made it out intact, so I've got that going for me."

Lightning began to close her eyes, slowly relaxing against the seat, listening to the low rumble of the road, and then the luggage, shifting back and forth with each bump. "...Wake me when we get there."

James glanced over to check the electronic map beside the steering wheel. "Should be just an hour or so."

Lightning nodded, to nobody in particular, before she slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Within the dark, silent forest, she waits, watching them pass between the trees. Her lip curls, sharp teeth born beneath the stars, but they wait... They always wait, until the time is right.

The wood is torn, ripped out from its roots, unearthed. It is stripped of its skin, of life itself, although the way it soon stands tall, just between its fellow trees, painted with both care and detail... She thinks it might almost stand as monument, testament to the constant exchange, the fluid cycle that every living being would eventually face.

Lightning sits atop that very structure, against the tiles, still warm from the setting sun. Her legs are crossed, and her arms soon go slack, although she stares down quietly into the forest, her gaze unyielding.

The warmth begins with barely a crackle, greedily snapping at the dry, twisted flesh, before it spreads, whispering off into a full-blown, sharpening scream; it leaps out along the surface, until she can scarcely even feel the warmth of her own skin, before the ashes rise up and sear away the blue from her eyes.

There is a small, quiet voice. "Claire?"

The flames seem to pause, if only just for a moment, if only to let the tiny child, sitting just beside her, speak the the name again, the gift to something much, _much_ smaller than her. "...Are you coming back inside yet?"

Lightning stares down at it, the young, pale face of her kin, but she can feel no words within her throat, and the dream soon starts to murmur in her ears.

It steals her away without sound, sightless and dark, thick with warm, clotted life, then acrid rot, given a new form, a new start.

_Why do you still want it so close? Wouldn't you rather forget? It wouldn't have to hurt anymore._

The black roots snake down, towering out above her body, and Lightning squints upwards into the pale, fading sun, before slowly, it begins to die.

_It was so warm, then._

And it is again, just as warm as the tight embrace of a friend, or even a loved one, but Lightning finds herself limp, carried off by a low, humming song.

"No, it's long past midnight, Serah." The woman stops her song, just to look at the child upon her lap, who struggles just to keep her eyes open. "_And_ it's a school night."

Lightning blinks, staring out at them from within the dark, gazing up at the mother and her children, lost in their very own world.

"But what about what's under the _bed?!_" Serah scowls, frowning at her mother's expression. "You forgot, didn't you?!"

"Serah..." The second child, steadily dozing off as well, kicks out her foot towards the ground. "Monsters aren't real, stupid."

"_Hey_..." Gently, the mother flicks at the very top of her head. "No more name-calling, I told you."

"She's only saying it 'cause she heard someone talking about them at school..." The older child stifles a yawn. "Someone _stupid_ at school, he told her that they're under there, but he was lying."

Their mother leans back, and the chair slowly rocks with the motion. "Is it a lie if they believe in it?"

After a moment, her face goes blank. "What are you talking about?"

"I _do_ believe it!" Serah starts to clutch at the plush animal in her arms. "Monsters _are_ real, and there's gonna be one under my bed if you guys don't scare it away!"

The mother taps at the side of both of their heads, before she weaves her fingers into the matching pink locks, and she quietly starts to hum again. "But wait... What if it's a _nice_ monster?"

Before she can begin to explain, twin sets of blue of eyes start to scour her expression, and their mother nearly laughs, although she merely reaches to hold them both even closer. "I'd bet that even monsters would like friends, wouldn't you? How about we introduce ourselves instead of chasing it off?" Her voice lowers to a whisper. "I think that you're _very_ brave, Serah, brave enough to make a friend out of anything."

Slowly, Serah puffs out her chest, then clambers down from her mother's lap, stomping towards the woven bed-sheets. "_Hey!_" She narrows her eyes at the darkness beneath her bed. "Are you _really_ a nice monster, or what?!"

"Don't _yell_." The older child covers her ears for a moment, mumbling. "You might just scare it off anyway..."

"Sorry." Serah drops down to her knees, peering at the dusty, yet empty length of space. "Hey? If you're listening, you'd better not try anything... Or my sister will beat you up real _bad!_"

A smile curves over Lightning's mouth, and she catches her younger self doing the same.

"But if you _are_ a nice monster-" Serah slowly lets go of the bed-sheet. "Just say it, okay?"

The room is utterly silent, save for the low, gentle creak of a rocking chair, and the pattering rain against the windowsill.

_You would really rather remember?  
_  
Lightning can only watch as her mother stands, lifting both of the children into her arms, before she sets them each of them down into their beds with a soft, yet weary smile. "Well, I don't think we'll have any monster problems, not with the two of you around."

As she steps away, the framework, the floor _itself_ crumbles without even a sound, without so much as a song to mourn its passing, before a dark, drifting cloud starts to mingle with the ashes, indiscernible to the naked eye.

But her eyes are _far_ from that; her pupils quickly shrink, staring out into the slow, drifting circles of air, rising towards the surface of the dream.

Her human feet brush down against the dust, and she can see only blue while the ashes fall beside her, swirling about in the darkness, until they come to rest beneath the new, sharpened point of her claws.

The depths darken and then shift, before they swirl, whispering all around her, moving, _crushing_ her beneath the weight of both rushing sound and _sheer_ physical mass, until her ears are nearly deaf to it all, before slowly, her eyelids slide shut.

The soles of her feet brush down against the vast, sandy surface, and then water murmurs again. The rich, vital secrets pour out, rejuvenating both her lungs and throat, but in return, the air steals itself out from between her teeth, only to flee away into the distant, fleeting sky.

"Hm... You always did get just a bit too caught up in things." The woman leans back upon a tall, wooden rocking chair. "But I guess it gave you time to think, didn't it?" While she tilts back and forth, the sand shifts beside her feet, where an old, dappled hound rests as well.

Slowly, Lightning turns, eyes wide. "Mom."

The woman smiles, warm, yet fading. "The one and only."

Lightning stares at her face, along the creases of her skin, hidden only slightly by the scattered rays of light, filtering down from far above. "This is just a dream... It's not really you."

"Is that _right?_" Her mother laughs, before she starts to reach for a piece of fabric, floating beside her chair. "I'm still in your thoughts... Dreams are just our way of handling the rest of things; if you were to die one day, would that mean that when a loved one dreams of you, that you would be any less real than what they remembered?"

Her heart twinges, and Lighting quickly sinks, dropping to her knees, though she still stands tall above the seated form. "...It was always hard to prove you wrong about _anything_."

Her mother laughs, a long, clear laugh, while the hound at her feet flicks its ears. "But Claire, you were only a child, then..." She pauses, staring deep into the orange of her daughter's eyes, but then her gaze shifts off, to the tiny, stray flecks of blue. "Although you don't like to be called that, not anymore. It's not nearly the same."

Lightning nods. "You might think... It sounds silly, I'm sure-"

"No..." Her mother reaches up, touching at the side of Lightning's head, just below her horns. "No, it's never silly to find strength in something like this... Hold it _tight_."

Lightning feels her eyelids start to close, and she soon lowers her voice. "I wish... I wish everyone could've met you."

"I know." Her mother whispers as well. "Just follow your ears, dear, and trust yourself as much as you can."

"Everyone says that..." Lightning squeezes her eyes shut even tighter, even as her mother hugs her close. "It's like they don't _see_ the mistakes, or just how bad things can get when I-"

"They love you!" Her mother's voice almost wavers. "A family should stay close, even through the worst of times." She soon grips at the back of Lightning's head, holding her closer. "What I wouldn't give to be back, with all of you..."

Lightning inhales, and the cold, cloudy water fills her throat. "I miss you, more than I ever thought..."

"You are _never_ alone." The voice whispers, moving throughout the murky depths, and Lightning's ears prick up, listening to the hush of water, and then the distant, fading sound. "I am only as real as you remember me... Though, a child might not exist before the day it was born, but is it any less real? Can we not say the same for death?"

Lightning watches as the water swirls, the rocking chair leans back, unoccupied, before the hound wanders off, out into the dark, and leaves her there, alone, standing in utter, absolute solitude.

_Why is the brain, the most capable tool we have of understanding our world... Why do we think that it's so feeble?_ The voice was toneless and without emotion._ Why are our thoughts 'unreal', when all that a thing needs for validation is a physical form? You do remember those stories you used to love, of those selfless ones, in a wide, wild earth, untamed and unconquered..._

Her gaze drifts up, towards the dim, yet flickering horizon, but there is no answer in her throat, or even in her mind.

_...Is __**she**__ unreal?_ One suddenly floats within the darkness, though her body is comatose, as if asleep. _You could say that she is intertwined with you, yourself, cut from similar enough cloth... Does she truly guard you, or is she only a just fragment, a ghost of you and your past? Is she __even__ her own self?_

Lightnings teeth grit down together, and despite the chill in her jaw, deep within her bones, she answers strong. "She is."

_Speak it enough times, and it might just become reality. After all, what are our minds, our stories, if not lies, spun like silk... If only to ground us?_

"You... You aren't One." Lightning's voice leaves her throat as bubbled air, but her tone is suddenly sharp, like lilting, thunderous rain. "What the hell _are_ you?"

..._What do you __want__ me to be?_

Lightning stares out into the wide, blue world, but even after a while, she can find no answer, and can see no eyes, no other visions within the dream.

_Why did you call yourself Lightning?_

The answer sears her entire body, shifting behind her eyelids, burning away any other possible process of thought, until the image leaps out to the surface, even without her willing it.

_I needed to be strong. _The fabric of her shirt is stained with the tears of another, one who hasn't yet healed from loss._ I needed __**power**__, the kind that doesn't think twice._

_But, will it yield to those you love?_ There is a hunched, trembling child, hidden away within the trunk of a mossy tree; she scrubs away the moisture from her eyes, banishing it back to where it came. _Would it lash out upon you, yourself, when you needed it most?_

A droplet of red hits the ground, casting a tiny cloud of sand into the dream.

_There is always consequence._

The urge to shout, to reach up and grip against the strange, unknown presence tears through her body like wildfire, but the commanding depth, the force of millions upon _millions_ of singular, swirling droplets of water; it's all too much at once, and the weight of a soft, dreamless sleep soon claims her, as if she hadn't been lucid at all.

* * *

A strong wind sweeps over the earth, the deep blue ocean, and slowly, the ground is coated with white.

The figure is that of a great, towering glacier, stalwart and everlasting, although at the very center, a great, unending warmth tempers the chill beyond.

He is a lone, gray wolf, blinking against the rapid frost, the stinging force that threatens to claim his life, but when he hears the distant sound, the tone that echoes over the land, he races forward at full force.

She is a pale, massive thing, the creature of white fur and sharp, innumerable teeth, though she slowly sheathes her claws, standing tall above the small ones, the cubs who amble back and forth between her wide feet.

Snow sits upon a lone chunk of ice, bobbing within the vast, darkened sea, while his own claws cling down against it, tethering him to the shard, rapidly melting beneath the sudden rush of rain.

Far above, Two stretches out his wings, and glides against the dampened air; an albatross, so far from home, yet instinctually drawn towards the south, to the place it has never been, yet has always _known, _far in the back of his mind, knows it is a place called home.

"Wait!" Snow calls out, shouts to the sky, but his voice is almost lost to the howling wind. "_Don't_... Come back, I don't understand!"

Long feathers flap beneath the wind, once, then twice, before he _dives_, wings tucked in, crashing against the water below.

Snow is thrown back, breathless, into the dark, into a world without warmth, without even so much a scrap to cling on to-

But then, he can see the sun.

They are the broad, wild oxen, roaming across the plains, both young and old, preyed upon by man and animal alike, until they are all but half the size they were before.

"There is always-" Two stares off into the distance, standing tall upon his back legs. "Always a _price_; a life just can't be born without another being taken away."

A pack of wolves breathe sharp, ragged snarls, but they carry on, hounding the mother bison and her calf.

Snow stands, almost shouts, before one of the beasts turns to meet his gaze, and their eyes flash orange.

"They kill for their own."

A tiny, helpless creature curls up against the warmth of his kin, nourished by the prey his family is dragging back to the den.

Snow watches them, watches the dark, reddened snouts, hears the sudden sounds of their young, racing out with their mother to greet the rest of the pack, before they all begin to eat.

Two breathes of the scent, the blood spilled, trickling from a fallen life. "Nature has no plan... No single meaning, only warmth." Slowly, he turns to face the sea. "Only cold, and then warmth, and cold again."

The albatross opens her break to regurgitate fish into the beaks of her young, who sit within a rounded nest.

"Why does it feel like that's... That this thing is you?" Snow moves along the edge of the cliff, before he turns to gaze at the ocean below. "How do I _know_ who she is? If it even _is_ a she..."

Two sits silently, guarding over the pale, tiny hatchlings, and their mother, just above. "Because it _was_ me; I have no true gender, no body of my own... Only memories and purpose."

"What sort of purpose?"

"To protect my host."

Snow sees the mother take flight, before she glides down, across the end of the cliff, and then to the tropical waves, crashing down beyond. "...And the children of your host?"

"They are even more important."

"That's good to hear."

Two turns, resting on his side. "You've never had children before... But every parent has to start from some point."

Snow can feel each question in his mind, the way they leap and spring to the surface, begging to be heard, to ask what he should _do_, what should he _expect_-

But Two is suddenly gone, and he finds himself alone, no longer lucid, and within the wide, yawning dark.

* * *

"Light?" Something touched at her shoulder, gently. "We're here, Light."

Lightning slowly opened her eyes, before she caught sight of Fang, kneeling against the floor of the trunk.

"...Guess what?"

Lightning almost closed her eyes again. "What?"

"Well, I was just telling the folks that we'd be fine finding somewhere outside to sleep, or even just borrow the trunk here, but..." Fang leaned in to whisper against Lightning's ear. "It sounds like daddy's company did _very_ well last year, and really, who goes on vacation without booking the best rooms in the joint?"

Lightning stared up at her for a moment, before she glanced out the window, towards the lighted entryway, which led up a set of polished stairs, into the entrance of a hotel.

"I told them _no_, we couldn't just take a freebie, but-"

Someone suddenly walked up towards the trunk with a smile. "It was available!"

Lightning slowly turned her gaze, over to the plastic card in Alice's hand. "...What did you do?"

"Oh, you got us out of quite the predicament." Alice shook her head. "James, he does_ try_... But frankly he's useless with mechanics, and we would have been out there all night just _waiting_ for a repair truck." She passed the card over to Fang. "Room two-thirty-three, second floor."

Fang winked at her. "Appreciated."

Lightning rose to her knees, sitting up within the trunk, before she watched Alice walk over to the stairs with one of the rolling suitcases.

Fang turned the card over in her hands. "Nice people, eh?"

Lightning held back a sigh. "Where's Odin?"

Fang reached to lift up the side Lightning's satchel, where Odin was curled up beneath it, dozing away.

"Surprised the kids didn't steal him."

Fang laughed. "Oh, they wanted to... But I told them they'd have to ask you."

Lightning reached over for her bag, and then gently took Odin up into her arms. "Which room are they staying in? They can borrow him for tonight."

Fang tapped one of her claws against the card. "Same floor, they said... Also invited us to go see some local thing tomorrow, but I said it was up to you."

"Local thing... Whitestone." Lightning moved over step out from the trunk, before she saw Alice return, only without the suitcase she had been dragging.

"Could you hand me the red one, back there?" Alice smiled when Fang hoisted up another suitcase, handing it over to her. "Thank you _so_ much... The kids are already up in their room, and I didn't want to have to drag them away from the television."

"No problem." Fang stepped down from the trunk, before Alice reached up to pull the hatch shit, and then lock the van itself.

"I was just wondering, I told Fang before..." Alice started off for the stairwell, waving them over. "There's supposed to be an old historical thing out here, and the kids have been raving about it for days; if you'd like to join us, we'd be happy to have you."

Lightning glanced down when Odin yawned against her chest. "Whitestone, it's a pretty literal name... I did a report on it in middle school." She followed them up towards the entryway, and was almost surprised when none of the sleepy bellhops gave her more than a second glance. "And you're right, it is historical."

Alice led the way through the hall, down past the front desk, towards the elevators, before she reached out to tap at one of the buttons. "All I know is that is has something to do with some of the stories they like, or it was the place where someone did something important, or something like that." She took a deep, steadying breath, and reached for the other suitcase, which was propped up against the wall. "I _do_ try to listen, but _sometimes_... You just need some peace and quiet, and to get that, you just have to nod whenever they stop chattering."

Fang chuckled. "I think that's pretty reasonable."

When the elevator slid open, Alice stepped forward, waiting for Lightning and Fang to join her, before she reached for another button. "I have a question to ask, if you don't mind it being a little... Forward."

Lightning bit back a sigh.

Fang chuckled, slowly shaking her head."I think I can already guess..." She leaned back against the wall of the elevator, before it rumbled into motion. "No, we don't have any _tackle_ when we're like this... That's more for once we're human again."

Alice didn't even blush. "But don't you ever have to _pee?_"

"I'm not sure how it works exactly, but no, we don't have anything down there." Fang watched as Lightning tried not to whack her own head down against the side of the elevator. "Although, our spikes start shedding like _crazy_ if we stay shifted for more than a few weeks."

Lightning covered her face with her hands. "_Fang_."

"Alright, alright..." Fang laughed under her breath, before the doors slid open again. "Alright, room two-thirty-three."

"Yes, and we're just across the hall." Alice lifted up one of the suitcases with her hand, pointing down the corridor with her other. "And the television access is free, so go wild if you like."

Fang felt the sudden urge to waggle her eyebrows at Lightning, although she didn't currently have them.

Alice reached for her other suitcase, before she started down the hall, but it was only a short walk. She reached into her pocket for her own key card, and quickly slid it down through the terminal beside nearby room.

Lightning walked up beside her. "Fang said that the kids wanted to hold on to Odin for tonight... It's alright with me." She carefully held out the tiny kitten, who merely yawned, dozing in her hands. "I'll come back to get him tomorrow, unless we do decide to take a look around."

Alice smiled, broadly, and she set down both of the suitcases to take Odin into her hands. "Oh, sleepy kitty." She stroked at the fur behind his ears. "We had a cat of our own for a long, long time... It was so hard on the little ones, once she passed." Alice rubbed gentle circles against Odin's cheek. "Maybe when we get back home... Well, we'll just have to see."

Lightning watched for a moment, before she nodded, turning back towards the hall. Fang soon followed after her, turning over the key in her hand, but once they had reached the doorway in question, she leaned down to murmur against Lightning's ear. "You, uh... Had a pretty specific idea this morning..."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "Just open the door."

Fang slid the card through the terminal, before the door unlocked with a click. "Hey, if you'd rather just get some more sleep-"

It was only then that Lightning moved forward, dragging Fang along with her, but before long, with a low, rumbling growl, she stood up on her tiptoes to whisper in Fang's ear. "...Shift back."

Fang's heartbeat nearly doubled in pace.

* * *

A/N: _Evelos is suddenly quite thankful that she watched all those nature documentaries._

Fun fact: Male polar bears don't stick around to take care of their young, and will often unknowingly eat their own offspring later on in life.

Nature is truly quite grand.


	28. Chapter 28

"Can't say this is quite what I was expecting."

Lightning flicked through the channels without so much as looking at Fang.

"...Is this about what I said in the elevator?"

Despite the fact that the two of them were entirely without clothing, Fang was merely resting back against the bed, gazing over at what was probably the most _boring_ television program she had ever seen.

Fang let out a sigh. "Because it's not nice to act all excited, and then-"

"I'm not angry..." Lightning set down the remote. "I just need to say something." For a moment, she merely kept watching the image of someone selling some sort of colorful, collapsible measuring cups. "...Maybe a little angry, but I do have something to say."

Slowly, Fang began to lean closer, propping herself up on her elbow. "And what's that?"

"In was the car..." Lightning glanced away from the screen. "I'm pretty sure that I was having a dream, but I can barely remember it now." Lightning turned, and she felt the soft, silky blankets beneath her, before she settled down on her side, facing Fang. "I remember... There was someone _talking_, and then something happened, like I was talking back to them."

Fang reached out to brush her thumb beneath Lightning's chin. "Was it a good dream?"

Lightning slowly shook her head. "I don't know if it was, but it's-" She took a moment to think. "It's like everything got caught up in a haze, but I can still feel that it happened."

Fang glanced over, towards the side of the room, at a lone, half-open door. "...I've got an idea." She slowly rose to the side of the bed, up to her feet, and then over to the door itself, before she leaned in to glance inside. "Hot damn..."

Lightning sat up against the pillows. "What?"

"There's a tub in the floor, here! One of those hydrotherapy things... I can see the little jets." Fang stepped out into the room, and after a moment, the lights flicked on. "Light, you coming?"

Lightning eased herself towards the edge of the bed, but before she began to stand up, she glanced at the wide, curtained window, at the dark, cloudless sky, illuminated by the moon.

Fang came back before Lightning could rise, and she slowly walked over to her side, sitting back down against the bedside. "...I really like taking a shower whenever I get dreams like that, but I have a feeling that this might feel even better."

Lightning took a moment just to breathe, before she started to lean down, towards the side, resting her head against Fang's shoulder. "Do you... Still think about your parents, Fang?"

Her voice went soft, low. "Not often."

Lightning reached over to hold her hand. "But you knew them, right?"

Fang inhaled, trying not to shiver. "Well... I remember looking at someone, but I can't know for sure if it was really my mother's face." She stared down at her feet. "I must've been just a little kid when she left... Nobody would tell me where she went, or what even happened."

Lightning kept silent for a while. "I think I might've been dreaming about my mother."

Fang wrapped her arm around Lightning's back, gripping her shoulder. "I'm glad you remember."

Lightning felt it then, the raw tightness in her chest, slowly seizing, before it unfurled; though it still clung tightly to her lungs, almost making it hard to breathe, she found solace by pressing her face against Fang's neck, allowing herself to be hoisted up, and then carried off across the room.

"It's a little harder to pick you up like this..." Fang winced when Lightning pressed a few fingernails rather sharply at her back. "Hey, not like _that!_ We're just more similar in size now, that's all..."

Lightning slowly bit back a smile. "I'm not sure why I got the short end of the height stick."

"I'm just a big weirdo when I shift, that's all." Fang chuckled, stepping down into the bathroom. "We're _all_ weirdos, Light, nothing wrong with it."

Lightning glanced over to see that Fang had already started up the water, and that the room itself was being filled by tiny wisps of steam.

"Alright..." Fang set Lightning down, but she quickly reached for her hands, guiding her on towards the edge of the bath, all while brushing gently against her side. "I'm not really sure what all the settings mean, but we can always experiment."

Lightning slowly moved forward, dipping her toes into the water, before she realized just how much the entire thing resembled a large hot-tub, only built into the floor itself and a bit less rounded. "It's already warm."

Fang walked over to push the bathroom door shut, before she stepped back towards the tub. "Nice, isn't it?" She set one foot down beneath the water, and then began to use a set of steps built into the side, which led down to the very bottom.

Lightning moved over as well, stepping slowly against each stair until she was up to her waist in water. "...We'd better not get too used to this."

"Why, 'cause the house can't fit one?" Fang began to lean back, crossing her arms behind her head. "There's always the backyard..."

"No, I mean because they're expensive." Lightning took a few more steps, and the water reached her chest. "And neither of us have jobs."

Fang only let out a sigh, before she set down an arm against the edge of the tub, gesturing at Lightning with her fingertips. "Enjoy it while we can, I guess."

The steam rose up, swirling all around her, and Lightning took a moment to get used to such a thing, how the water never seemed to stop moving, constantly propelled by the jets, and it was a long moment before she finally stepped further, sitting down on the little bench beside Fang. Lightning reached out, wrapping both of her arms around Fang's torso, just to have something still, something solid to hold against.

"Ah, _now_ you decide to get friendly..." Fang smirked, before she reached over to play with a strand of Lightning's hair, which had grown quite a bit darker beneath all the steam. "Get us _all_ worked up at the door, shove me inside, and then go watch _infomercials_ for half and hour... Only when I find us the hot-tub do we get all cuddly again."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "It wasn't half an hour."

"Sure _felt_ like it..." Fang chuckled quietly. "Those little potato-peelers looked useful, though."

"But who needs to peel more than a couple of potatoes?" Lightning fought the urge to sigh, before she started to tuck her head down beside Fang's neck. "_That's_ how they get you... 'Oh, just look at this wonderful niche product, you'll only ever use it _twice_ in your life, but just look how much effort you saved.'"

Fang glanced up at the ceiling, at the thick, swirling steam. "What about the extendable back-scratchers?"

Slowly, Lightning narrowed her eyes. "...You have girlfriend to scratch your back."

Fang's heart almost felt like it had leapt against her chest, and she started to grin, wrapping her arms around Lightning's shoulder. "I could really get used to you calling me that."

Lightning began to close her eyes, to savor the warmth of Fang's body, and the steady jets of water, moving all around them, but when she felt something brush against her cheek, her eyes fluttered open again, glancing at where Fang had pressed her mouth.

It was only a whisper, ghosting across her ear. "I could get used to a _lot_ of things... Having a place, all to ourselves, watching stuff from the bed... _Using_ the bed."

Lightning exhaled, almost a laugh. "We'd have to get a _place_ to put the bed... And money to get the place."

Fang smiled. "I could always get another job... I bet that you could, too, just as long as we kept everything on schedule, under control." She gently pressed her mouth against Lightning's jaw. "Or, you could always work from home..."

"Doing what..?" Lightning shivered. "I wasn't exactly planning on-" She drew in a sharp breath when Fang bit down, nipping just along the edge of her chin. "Not after all that happened."

"Well, we don't have to think about it now..." Fang's voice drifted up to her ears, but she was far too lost in the sensations; she could feel the constant force of warm, rolling water, the gentle hands, sliding down along her hips, slowly massaging the curves, pressing against the muscle beneath. "We don't have to think about _anything_, not right now."

Lightning let her eyes fall shut, and she bit down on her bottom lip when Fang stroked against the small of her back.

"Just tell me what you'd like." Fang drew them both close, tracing long, easy circles into the muscles along her abdomen. "We could do whatever we want in here... Nobody's gonna hear."

Lightning tried not to shiver again, but with each time Fang circled around, drawing closer and closer to her lower belly, she just couldn't hold back the trembles any more.

"Light?"

It was sudden then, the way Lightning took hold, rising up for a soft, yet crushing kiss; she pushed down, gripping her hands against the rim of the tub until both her fingers and knuckles were turning pale. The flare, the heat that had crumpled deep within her body, it suddenly bloomed white hot again, unfurling, tensing each coil, one by one.

"_Light_..." Fang almost growled, panting into her mouth, but she just kept grasping, squeezing, touching every inch of skin she could possibly reach, possibly hold. "Are you-?"

She silenced it, moving in with a long flick of her tongue, swiping over Fang's teeth to trace the sharpened point, to dance just between the edge of warm, delicious pressure and bloodshed.

Fang suddenly lurched, gripping down with both of her hands, and Lightning couldn't help but shudder when she felt herself get pressed up against the side of the tub, just above the churning jets, before she let out a long, quiet groan.

"This is _new_, Light..." Fang nibbled along the curve of her neck. "I _like_ all this confidence."

Lightning squeezed at Fang's shoulders with her hands, trying to match the constant throb, the thrumming within her own abdomen, within her very heart, before she finally managed to find the right words. "You're always... You _always_ have this way about you, when you do this."

Fang pressed down on her hips, moving both her own legs to meet them, and then to rest around Lightning's waist.

Lightning bit back a sigh. "..Like you aren't afraid of messing up."

Fang moved to trace her fingertips over each of the soft, pink curls, drifting far beneath the surface. "...Because it's _okay_ to mess up." She smiled at the sudden squirm, and then the warm, sensitive skin beneath her hand, stroking down, gently. "I've messed up so many times before, more than I can count, and you know what? It's always, _always_ salvageable the day after." Fang lowered her voice, dark and quiet. "You can mess up a million times, and I won't give a damn."

At the first press, urgent and swift, Lightning twisted her own head to the side, biting down hard against her lip.

"You don't have to hold it in."

She whimpered, then, bucking softly with her hips to meet each gentle thrust, to meet the fingertips curling inside her.

"Light, I'll be around no matter what you do... No matter what happens."

Lightning murmured into the sudden kiss, and she wrapped her arms around Fang's shoulders to clutch at her back.

Fang smiled, before she angled her hand, if only to feel the constant, fluttery warmth at her front, or the even the way that Lightning was breathing sharply through her nose, far too occupied with slanting her own mouth against Fang's, firmly pressing with her tongue.

Her breaths grew fainter and fainter, and Lightning had to break away with a short, silent gasp, but with each and every push, each time Fang's knuckles brushed against her skin, curling deep within her body-

"_Fang_..." Lightning almost started to writhe, feeling the sweat trickle down her brow, nearly indistinguishable from the constant haze of steam, curling all around her, so very, very _close; _it almost reminded her of the way she was pressed up snug against Fang's body, held solid against the wall of the bath. It was a struggle just to gasp, to even breathe, but she soon let out a cry, shaking, bowing forward just to press her forehead against Fang's neck.

"...You alright?" Fang kept on with her fingertips, but with her other hand, she started to squeeze down on the curve of Lightning's hip. "Light, just _relax_... Let me take care of it, just for now." She smiled at the sharp, tiny whimpers, muffled up against her skin. "...I've got you."

Her belly only throbbed, coiling up with long, quivery jolts; her legs threatened to buckle, to let her sink, but Fang quickly moved her free hand, holding them tight against each other.

"Just-"

Lightning opened her eyes, and her pupils fully dilated, spine arching, before a long, breathy cry took hold of her throat.

Her whole body shook, quaking, and it freed every single tiny ounce that had been wound up so _tightly_, and it was suddenly so _heavy_, so warm; she could feel the rush of suddenly slickness on herself, even beneath the water, and she could still feel _Fang_, easing her fingertips against each shudder, each throb of blissful heat.

"I've got you..." Fang murmured it, drifting in from out of the dark, out of the wide, sightless haze, claiming away almost every sense she had ever known before. "I've got you, Light."

Her belly still pulsed, throbbing, but it felt so much more sated, no longer insistent or even keening for release, for Fang to keep drawing it out. "Fang..."

"Welcome back." Fang tucked a strand of Lightning's hair away from her eyes. "You look pretty dazed."

Lightning blinked, still far beneath the blurriness, the thick swirls of steam, much too warm for her to stay alert for any longer. "It's too... Too hot in this."

Fang held back a tiny frown, but she reached for the dial beside the tub, easing away the hot jets of water, until the surface of the bath was almost entirely still.

Lightning felt her vision spin, wobbling back and forth. "...Can we go back into the bedroom?" She slowly moved up to kiss her, to ease away the distant look on Fang's face, to show her that it had felt, in fact, very good, _splendid_ even, but that the temperature was simply too muggy for her to even hope of reciprocating further.

"...Okay-" Fang was cut off by the slow, tugging pull, the gentle teeth on her bottom lip. "Need me to carry you?"

Lightning squeezed her eyes shut. "...With a towel."

Fang began to murmur under her breath. "You gonna be up for round two..?"

Her only answer was a long, heated kiss against the side of her neck, and Fang smiled, reaching for one of the dials, one that she hoped would make the water drain away.

Perhaps it was the fickle whim of Lady Luck, but that specific knob made the jets start up again, only at a slightly slower rate.

"Damn..." Fang fiddled with the panel, even beneath the soft, constant nipping at her throat. "One sec, I've gotta-"

Lightning whispered into her skin. "_C'mon_..."

Fang swallowed back a sigh, racing with herself to figure out such a silly contraption, but before long, after a handful of different cycles and varied water temperatures, she finally managed to unlock the drain below.

There was much more movement, then, of shaky legs moving out from beneath the surface, towards the towel rack, and after a good bit of fumbling and impaired, kiss-hindered grabs, Fang had finally managed to take hold of the cloth; she tugged it down over Lightning's back, then stumbled back out into the bedroom.

They both exhaled when Lightning moved her legs around Fang's waist, squeezing gently.

"Okay..." Fang ambled over toward the bed, and somewhat less than gracefully, managed to get both Lightning and the towel down onto the sheets, before she herself sank forward, still tethered by the insistent, probing kisses.

Lightning kept on without words, running her hand over Fang's back, soothing it down even when she was nudged forward again, pressed further against the center of the bed.

Fang blinked, gazing out into the darkness, although she was still able to see Lightning's features quite clearly, having forgotten to switch off the bathroom light. Beneath them, the blankets were wrinkled and strewn, yet just as plushy as before, and Fang took a moment to simply stare, breathless, watching as Lightning's fingertips slipped down, against the join of her thighs.

"_Ah_-"

"I love your hair like this..." Lightning's other hand moved up to caress the long, wild locks, damp and curly, with more than a bit of extra volume from her time beneath the steam. "It's so fluffy, now."

Fang grit her teeth, grinning. "Are we thinking about the same-" She let out a sharp, sudden groan, and her arms nearly buckled; Fang cursed under her breath when Lightning pressed up again, against that one, certain spot that would always make her voice go dry and hoarse.

"Maybe you shouldn't be a smart-ass once I've got you right where I want you..." Lightning's expression didn't change, but Fang could almost hear a laugh to her voice. "Unless you think you can handle the price."

Fang hissed at her, clenching. "_Ha_..." With the low, thrumming throb, deep inside her abdomen, she could barely even begin to form words inside her head, much less try to speak them. "I can handle-" She forced back a soft, tiny whimper, trembling, before she grunted and bucked down against Lightning's hand. "..._Whatever_ you can dish out."

Lightning curled her fingertips. "You don't sound all that sure."

Fang closed her eyes with a small shiver. "Nah... I'm real _sure_." She almost gasped when Lightning nipped down on side of her neck, at the raw, reddened skin, just to keep the regeneratives from gathering into once place.

"If you say so..." Lightning angled her fingers, breathing just a bit faster herself. "Open your eyes?"

Slowly, Fang forced herself to look again, at the way Lightning's hair was splayed out, scattered behind her head against the pillows, and the at way she was almost smiling... Then actually, fully smiling, just at the sight of her face.

"Light-"

"It's okay." Lightning took a deep breath, still moving, still breathing... _Still smiling._ "I just wanted to see."

Fang leaned down to kiss her, even when the growing knot in her belly was pulled tight, trembling against the very edge, the apex of _everything_, and when she was finally sent loose, tumbling down, crying out against Lightning's mouth, then having the sounds swallowed away, kissed tenderly for all she had managed to do, it was only then that she fell, breathless, against the wide, silken sheets.

Lightning looked over, and she slowly stilled her fingertips, yet she kept her hand in place, despite the warm, liquid feeling, and even the way that Fang was still clenching against them.

"Light..." Fang's gaze was so distant, so dazed, although she still reached out, searching for the warmth of her embrace. "We're-" She paused, breathing out in soft, little whimpers, before she murmured something into the blankets, only in a far different language than before.

"Fang?" Lightning moved to look at Fang's face, and at the glazed sort of look in her eyes. "What was that?"

Fang slowly began to repeat the phrase, then exhaled, whispering under her breath. "Little hard to translate... Basically means that I never want us to not be like this... Like, the way all of this has happened." She brushed her lips against Lightning's cheek. "It's... It's not really a phrase people say lightly."

Lightning blinked, gazing into the dark, before she felt the soft, airy kisses along her ear, and then up towards her forehead.

"When translated just a little more literally-" Fang traced a slim, shaky hand over Lightning's collarbone, before she moved it to rest against her chest. "'I can feel the way your heart beats...'"

Lightning watched, and waited.

"'Far better than my own.'" Fang eased her fingertips up to touch Lightning's chin. "'I can hear the things you'll say, like I'm the one speaking them...'" She slowly brushed over the curve of her jawline. "'Even if you say nothing at all... And I never want that to change.'"

Lightning closed her eyes and slowly started to shiver, feeling the way Fang moved back atop her body, gently straddling each side.

"That's the best I can translate." Fang brushed her right palm against the swell of Lightning's breast, before she moved her other hand as well, caressing both. "But I think you can tell what it means."

Lightning inhaled at the warmth, the heat that flooded back inside her, draw out by each and every press, every touch. She felt her stomach twitch again, felt the embers start to stir, ignited from all but utter dark.

"And I want to show it to you..." Fang moved her hands away, but despite the low, almost growling whine of protest, she merely started to smile, grasping down on Lightning's hips. "Don't get all worked up now, now."

Lightning suddenly squirmed, curling in on herself as Fang's warm mouth brushed down against her stomach, over to the bottom of her abdomen, and then down to the soft, pink curls, just above her clit, before her tongue slowly began to ease against it.

"_Fang..!_" Lightning trembled, hugging herself tight. "Maybe a... _Warning_, next time?"

Fang leaned back to breathe against it, against the warm, damp stretch of skin. "But wouldn't that ruin the surprise?" She grinned at each of the tiny sounds, the way Lightning's hips subconsciously twitched, moving in time with what the motion had been, and against little puffs of air from Fang's mouth. "You want me to stop?"

Lightning snarled, and she suddenly clutched down on Fang's hair as gently as she possibly manage, though it was still rough enough to try and get her to keep going. "_Smart-ass_... When would I _ever_ want you to stop-!" The cries betrayed her tone, heightening in pitch with each long, loving stroke, each press of her soft, warm tongue. "_Fang_..."

"No more teasing... I get it." Fang almost winced at way Lightning gripped down even tighter, nearly enough to pinch, but she kept on probing, licking even harder for each little whimper she could hear, each soft, tiny cry.

"Fang... Fang, _Fang_-" Lightning squirmed, writhing against the sheets, far too hot, desperate and flustered all at once... Yet she wouldn't have had it any other way, because it almost felt like the dark room was starting to evaporate, like it was all just a cloud, a far distant thing, and all that existed was the warm, the soft blankets beneath her back, and Fang, always, _always_ her, she would always be right there, always stand at her side.

Fang could feel the slow, blooming wave, before she pressed down, kissing against it with a soft, gentle exhale.

Lightning bucked, once, twice, and then, after a sharp, ragged cry and a final, shaky press, she simply crumpled, breathing with low, panting whines.

"Hey, love..." She hadn't even noticed Fang's return, nor the arms that gathered her up, tucked close against the warmth, nor body she promptly collapsed against. "You doing alright?" Fang brushed her fingertips over Lightning's back in long, soothing strokes.

Lightning nodded, growing sightless, for she had started to squeeze her eyes shut, trying not to simply drown beneath the constant thrum of blood, rushing just inside her veins.

"You look ready to sleep..."

Lightning didn't even respond, she simply drifted, nodding only half of the way, before the weight of exhaustion became far too much to bear.

* * *

She can see the quiet, ancient, shading the forest with their boughs, and she can hear the simple ones, the little things who creep about in the darkness... Or even the lumbering things, far, far away, but she, she is the one who waits within the branches, grinding her teeth together in anticipation.

She moves beneath the shadows in a lithe, almost fragile form... A host that she can only tolerate for one reason, and that reason alone-

Five spreads her wings to the air, then takes flight.

The creature, a large, nocturnal thing, one with long, webbed fingertips, sharp teeth... Not for flesh, perhaps insects, or rather fruit... Fruit is good, can be scented from a far distance, doesn't put up a fight, nor flee away into the darkness.

Five alights upon the warm, rising air, the thermals that dwindle beneath the sunless night, yet still, she constantly flaps, beating down against wind, up into towards canopy she knows so well. She needs no sound, no echoing calls against the leaves, for her round, glossy eyes can spot each and every branch, each winding vine, and before long... She breaks free.

The sky is suddenly gone, and Five sits atop a fallen tree, fully grounded once again."Why did it feel like you were-" She pauses, lowers her gaze, to the other... The duplicate beside her. "_Why_ does she make us remember?"

Fang shrugs, curled up against the grass. "Is that... That whole vision what Light was talking about..?"

Five jumps then, fluid and lithe, down into the clearing, towards the distant, creaking trees. "It just doesn't make sense; I've only ever remembered-"

The forest is suddenly gone, and they stand upon a wide, blank slate.

"Why does _she_ make us remember?"

Fang glances up to the sky, at the distant, fading stars. "I don't know. ...What are we remembering, exactly? Which sort of host you had before?"

Five hisses, low in her throat, although she won't even pause to dignify the question, and she merely starts to pace, spines standing on end. "It doesn't make any _sense_..." She snarls, low enough to rumble across her whole body. "It just doesn't."

Fang only watches, still exhausted even within the dream.

"Come o_n!_" Five roars, sharply, turning to face her. "You'd know... _You'd_-"

"Are you..." Fang pauses, breathing slow. "You're really asking for my help?" She can't help but chuckle at the way Five starts to bristle, sulking away.

"...You don't want to know?" Five narrows her eyes at the ground, still pacing. "She was.. You were just _touching_, and then I remembered, I _remembered_ it..."

Fang's tail twitches, before she flicks it off to the side, laying down flat on her back. "Why does it matter _how_ you remembered it?"

"Because it doesn't make sense." Five suddenly slows, and her ears perk up, nostrils flare. "There's..."

But Fang, she's gone, no longer lucid, lost in the realm of hazy dreaming, and when the one she holds so close, so near to her heart, when she _finally_ sees her again-

Five fights back a scream.

* * *

Her body rose up, staggering out and away from the sheets, from beneath the thick, heavy warmth, but once she realized that her eyes were completely shut, and her neck, it was still somewhat limp-

_What... What in the..?! _Five surged out, racing down into each of the collective memories, back towards the realm of sleeping, securely stored within each tiny little pocket, each firing synapse of the brain that she inhabited, but when she finally, _finally_ realized it, that the host, _her_ host, was still actively dreaming...

The world around her almost seemed to freeze, but before more than a half hour could slip by, Five forced both of her eyes to open, staring down at the body she shared... A then at another, at the pale, sleeping figure upon the bed.

"Wait-" The sound felt foreign on her tongue; even just a simple word was unpracticed, for she had never wishes enough to exert this level of control, especially on a more conscious, talkative host.

Five waited, gradually working over the idea of just collapsing again and praying that she could rejoin Fang within the dream... But she almost _knew_ that such a thing would only be futile, because she didn't know quite _how_ to sleep, only that she _could_ be within a dream, how to direct a portion of Fang's brain from within.

For the very first time in her recent life, Five felt the urge to cry out, to wrap her limbs around herself in search of comfort, but then the pride, the ego which she clung to so _tightly_-

On cold, shaking limbs, unable to direct them for much more than a single twitch, she slowly eased herself to the edge of the bed, praying that she could just manage keep the strange body aloft, though when she tried to stand, Five only reached out with a gasp, clutching down against the bedside table.

Her lungs seized, raggedly struggling for any air that she could possibly inhale, but after a short, yet lingering while, once the blind flurry of panic had finally left her veins... She slowly began to lean back, down to the sheets again, but when she turned and settled against the pillow, she saw someone was suddenly there... Unconsciously nuzzling against her.

"No-" Five's voice was smaller than she'd ever thought possible. "I'm not... I'm not yours, she's still asleep."

Lightning slept on, still pressing against her neck.

"No, _no..._" Five tried to look away, to ignore the gentle puffs of breath upon her skin; such things were more than easy enough to tune out when she was mostly just bunched up within the brain, but since her form had somehow spread, moving out into the nervous system, and even the rest of Fang's body itself...

"_Please_..." Five exhaled, and she felt the rush of air in her lungs, and then the scent, the one that Fang knew so well, yet it felt so dizzying to her now, and so very, very strange. "You aren't _mine_; you don't know what you're doing..."

Still, Lightning slept.

Five grit her teeth, shivering all at once, before she slowly, carefully tried to disentangle herself from each tiny cell, each blood vessel, and then each limb, until she finally felt her own form begin to recede, back up into the mind, away from the body, from the host still sleeping soundly.

Deep within the dark, Five could only wait, completely and utterly alone, and yet, for once... It wasn't nearly a welcome sensation.


	29. Chapter 29

"We need to shower."

Fang slowly opened her eyes, only to catch sight of Lightning, still pressed up against her chest. She was laying there with the remote back in her hands, and the sound of early-morning news echoed quietly across the room.

"...Shower." Fang let out a yawn, not quite ready to move more than an couple inches, not while the blankets were so warm, or how the room was still so dark, only illuminated by the first few rays of sun. "I could go for a shower, just not yet..."

Lightning looked up when she felt lazy kisses get pressed down on her hair, but she herself kept still, just to enjoy the feel of Fang's warm arms, wrapping themselves back around her waist.

"_Good morning._"

Lightning tilted her head to the side, returning the words a warm, brief kiss, before she settled back down against the pillow, breathing deep. "...Same to you."

Fang smiled. "Strange, isn't it? Being back in a place like this; no animals squawking right next door, and nothing to scout around for..." She slowly stretched out her arms, before she drew them back down around Lightning's waist, holding her close. "This is a whole lot softer than the ground, too."

Lightning closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the quiet hum of the air-conditioner, and then the distant sound of people walking on another floor, then back to the television, and the words being spoken by so many voices, some even hundreds of miles away.

"_-personally quite excited about this turn of events! It's been rather strange being leaderless for so long..."_

Lightning opened her eyes. "They're talking about the Primarch."

Fang nodded at the screen, and slowly, her posture went rigid. "...Would've _killed_ that son of a bitch if he hadn't already-"

"Fang..." Lightning turned, facing her with an expression she had only ever seen rarely.

Fang glanced away. "What he was going to do to Serah, _blackmailing_ you with that, I would've..."

"Fang, I almost _did_, right then and there." Lightning kept her voice low, and calculated. "If he hadn't had a gun to her head..."

Fang exhaled, breathing deep. "I mean, I know that any life, it's..." She took a moment to breathe, to find the right words. "It's not something you can just take on a whim, even if the world _would_ be better off without someone, but..."

"You have to protect your family."

Fang nodded against the pillow. "If anyone threatens to hurt any of us... It's only natural." She slowly relaxed, letting her shoulders unwind. "I remember, this one time... Vanille was scouting up ahead, and I was carrying our supplies; you ever seen a forest cobra, Light? One of the most irritable bastards you can ever cross paths with." Fang narrowed her eyes at the memory. "Before I knew it, I had its throat stuck around the end of my spear."

Lightning reached down to trace her fingertips across the edge of the blanket. "I wouldn't give one of the most venomous snakes in the world my benefit of the doubt... Especially if it was near my family."

Fang took a deep breath, gazing off into the distance. "I still wonder, though, if killing it was the right thing to do..." She kept quiet for a short while, just to watch the sunlight dance against the carpet. "I mean, just look at this family who helped us out... _We're_ more dangerous than any cobra, but they decided to trust us."

Lightning slowly began to stretch. "Because they saw us on the news... They knew we weren't looking to hurt anybody, not if we don't have to."

"I guess so." Fang suddenly mumbled, gripping down when Lightning tried to disentangle herself. "Where're _you_ going..?"

Lightning smirked while Fang pressed kisses along the back of her neck, having been pulled even tighter against her body. "Fang, we need to _shower_..."

"Ah..." Fang yawned, cuddling closer. "But we don't have to get up right away."

"It's almost seven..." Lightning pointed at the television screen. "And I'm hungry. If we want breakfast, I don't want to have to go and get it when we smell like sweat, and... You know what."

Fang grumbled a bit, but before long, she loosened her hold, rolling over to lay flat on her back. "They'd better have pancakes..."

Lightning crawled forward, before she leaned over to kiss Fang's cheek. "I'd be more surprised if they don't."

"Well, let's just hope it comes with the bill..." Fang slowly rose up, sitting against the blankets, before she started to stretch out her arms again, yawning under her breath. "Not sure if the money we have would be worth buying breakfast with."

Lightning glanced over at her satchel, which was resting atop the little coffee table, just beside their saris. "I think it could probably get us a few day's worth of breakfasts, if we ate cheap enough." She started to step down from the bed, before she walked over towards the bathroom door. "Fang, we forgot to turn the light off..."

"Not _our_ electric bill." Fang smiled, and then moved down to follow her. "But if you _really_ want to conserve resources... Water's a good place to start."

Lightning sighed. "You just want to get in my pants again."

"You aren't wearing pants." Fang paused to brush up against her, but she kept walking, out into the bathroom itself. "And I _always_ want to get in your pants... In fact, we should just stop wearing pants."

Lightning followed her through the doorway, slightly wincing at how cold the bathroom tile was. "Do our saris count as pants?"

"They cover your bum, don't they?" Fang was reaching for the sliding glass door, which led inside the shower. "_...And_ everything else for that matter, so they're pretty much the same." She started to turn the metal handle, before a strong rush of water flew down from the shower-head. "You coming with?"

Lightning stepped forward with a nod. "Just remember, the more you try to get in these hypothetical pants... The more likely it is that someone ate all of the hypothetical pancakes."

Fang grinned. "Sounds like a band name, 'Hypothetical Pants'..."

"Well, your first album can be 'Hypothetical Pancakes'." Lightning moved into the shower, beneath the powerful jets of water, pattering down against her skin. "Or, whichever other breakfast food you can think of."

Fang walked in as well, and she closed the glass door behind her. "Man, all this talk about breakfast... It's gonna be a shame if they don't serve it here."

Lightning reached for a tiny shelf beside the door, picking up a bar of soap which was wrapped in wax paper. "You know, I could have sworn that I smelled maple syrup just a little while ago."

"...Let's hope you're right." Fang reached for a small bottle of shampoo, squinting to examine the label. "Anyway, did you want to go see that historical thing today?" She started to open up the cap with her thumb. "I mean, we definitely got a head-start by hitching a ride with the folks... I don't think that it'd hurt to do a little looking around town."

Lightning scrubbed a bit of soap across her shoulders, down to her arms. "To be honest, I've always wanted to see it..." She blinked, and then went still, realizing that Fang had started to lather some of the shampoo into her hair. "It's mostly just a cave out in the desert, but from what I've read, this whole town was built from the tourism it brings."

Fang smiled. "Makes sense that they'd have such a decent hotel out there... Haven't seen any roaches, real clean sheets."

Lightning wrinkled up her nose, but beneath the feeling of the strong, gentle fingertips that massaged her head and neck, it was enough to make her relax, to forget almost everything for a moment.

"_Really_ hoping for some breakfast, though... I could eat a horse."

Lightning almost laughed. "I actually don't doubt that."

"Well, if worst comes to worst-" Fang guided them both back beneath the rush of water, to wash away the foamy shampoo. "We can shift back and just hit the road again, maybe catch some lizards or something."

Lightning let out a tiny sigh. "I'd rather catch an antelope... There's supposed to be pronghorns out here, maybe a bit further north."

"...Pronghorn pancakes?"

Lightning bit back a laugh, before she started to open her eyes, gazing out from beneath each trail of water, just to see Fang, still standing beside her.

"You've looked real happy, the past few weeks." Fang whispered it under her breath. "It's so good to see."

Lightning reached out to touch the side of Fang's face, brushing back a strand of her hair, until it was resting behind her ear. "I've been happy."

Fang reached up to squeeze her hand, and smiled. "Then I'm glad."

* * *

The distant sound of birdsong echoed over the entire apartment complex, although for once, the little creature seemed to have learned a less shrill way making himself known, and was warbling away instead.

Vanille moved to nudge open the door with her shoulder, balancing a bowl of cereal in her hands. "Bhakti? Come sit with me!"

The little dog raced out through the door within seconds, before he let out a bark and sat down on the tile, wagging his tail.

Vanille stepped out along the balcony, and it gave her a wide view of the little field between each building. "Good doggy..." She soon sat down as well, leaning against the railing that led to the fire-escape. "Do you want to come to work with me tomorrow?" She reached out to scratch behind Bhakti's ears. "You were so well behaved last time."

A sharp, sudden chirping interrupted her train of thought, though Vanille merely let out a sigh, moving to stir her spoon inside the cereal bowl. "Silly canary." After a moment, she could feel something change, something deep within her mind, which shifted around, but after a moment, Vanille took a bite of cereal. _You alright?_

Four's presence began to materialize, and she was soon sitting in the opposite corner of the balcony. "...I was about to ask you the same thing." She slowly started to lay down, sprawled out against the tile. "I... I wanted to apologize; I got you hurt, yesterday."

Vanille kept quiet for a moment, before she nodded. "Thank you for saying that."

Four closed her eyes. "...Are you mad at me?"

"I think you know that I'm not... It'd be like getting upset at someone who's scared, and that doesn't do much good at all." Vanille started to eat some more of her cereal for a while, silently thinking it over. "I'm more... Disappointed, because I thought that the two of you were going to get along just fine."

"I'm sorry." Four was whispering, barely loud enough to hear. "But, I've been thinking about it... Really _thinking_, and I started to think that if I _was_ right, and that if doing this did make something go wrong, that I could probably try and fix it after." She turned to stare up at Vanille, and then at the sunlight, rising up from the opposite side of the building. "I know how almost everything works, now... How a human body works, and I don't think that I'm even the one who's supposed to worry about that, the regeneratives are."

Vanille nodded, but she kept quiet.

"So, if-" Four tried not to mumble, but it almost felt as if each and every word she said would force her gaze in the other direction. "If you wanted... To try it, it's still up to you."

Vanille paused, before she reached over to pet the top of Bhakti head. "I can always call Hope, see if he'd want to try visiting the pond again."

Four glanced away. "If you _do_, tell him-" She closed her eyes again. "Tell... Tell _Three_, that I won't get angry again... I don't want to fight like that, not anymore."

Vanille slowly started to smile. "...I think I will."

* * *

Lightning moved the towel across her shoulders, then up to her hair, drying away each and every bit of water she could reach. "I _definitely_ smell maple syrup."

Fang was already unfolding the blue sari against the bed sheets. "I smell it, too." She reached for the little metal clasps, positioning each end of the cloth against different parts of her torso, before she wrapped it around certain angles of her shoulders and waist. "They must have some sort of breakfast thing going on..." She clipped down her sari and let the fabric fall, which evened out to form the bottom half of the ensemble. "Let's go get Odin before the kids get too attached."

Lightning looked up with a nod. "He's probably getting spoiled by all this attention..." She reached for her own sari and quickly started to position it over her shoulders and chest. "You ready to go?"

Fang picked up their satchels with a nod. "I'm not ready to leave this _hot-tub_ behind, but... Well, breakfast calls." She started to smile, handing over one of the bags to Lightning. "Just don't forget your sandals."

Lightning sat down on the little couch beside the coffee table, before she took the pair of sandals out from her bag, slipping them down over each foot. "I'm glad we have these... I wouldn't want to have to walk around the desert with bare feet."

Fang walked over towards the door, and once she had pushed it open, slipped the key card back into her satchel. "Off we go."

Lightning stood up to follow after her, down through the doorway and into the hall, but after a short while, when she caught the soft, muffled sound of giggling children, she suddenly paused, glancing behind a cart of cleaning equipment. "...Does your mother know you're out here?"

The kids only squealed in laughter, and Odin let out a mewl, bouncing out to greet her.

Slowly, Lightning knelt down to pick him up. "Hey, buddy."

Odin rubbed his head against her wrists, purring away.

Sam spoke up. "Mom said to say thank you!" She soon came bounding out as well, sporting different color hair-clips just beside her pigtails. "Last night we found a piece of string, and he'd chase it around when we moved it!"

Lightning nodded, before she glanced down at the other child, still crouched beside the trolley.

Thomas stared back at her. "You're people, again."

Lightning glanced down at herself, and then nodded. "...We're people."

Thomas stepped out with a small piece of paper in his hands, which they could already see was a drawing of a cat, only with straight sticks for its legs and whiskers.

Fang smiled at the children. "Your mom does know that you're out here, right? You really should get back if she doesn't."

Sam stood up tall and shook her head back and forth. "She knows! We promised to be really quiet, 'cause I wanted to see what else was out here." She pointed towards the end of the hall. "There's a candy machine over there, and a fridge with ice, and even one for soda! But mom said we couldn't have any last night, 'cause we already had dinner."

Fang nodded, before she started to walk down the hall again. "Have you guys had breakfast yet?"

"Not yet!" Sam bounced after her, followed by her brother, with Lightning trailing behind.

Thomas spoke again. "Mom said that once dad was done with his call, we'd go get food."

Fang stepped over towards one of the terminals. "His call?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, from someone at work! Before this, he was was real busy for a long time, so we're on vacation!"

Fang reached out to knock against the door. "Do you know if the hotel we're in, if it has a place for breakfast?"

Thomas spoke again. "I think so... The papers on the table said it does."

After a moment, the door opened to reveal Alice, who was tugging one of her shoes on. "How can I-" She took a long, lingering look at Fang, and then over at Lightning, who was holding Odin, before she looked down at her children. "Oh."

Fang smiled. "It's still us."

Alice started to smile as well, and she stepped out from the room, slinging a purse over her shoulder. "We have just a few changes of plan, today... James got a call, and the company needs his input on something, and neither Erin or Curtis want to see more of the town... So, it'll just be us."

Sam frowned, still bouncing up and down. "But daddy was gonna come look at the cave! He was gonna..."

"I know." Alice knelt down to hold Sam's shoulders. "I _know_, but daddy already spent a whole lot of time with you guys down at the beach, didn't he? He didn't take even one single call out there, and this sounds _very_ important."

Sam kept on frowning, but she soon followed after her mother, reaching up to hold her hand.

Alice looked over at Lightning and Fang. "Have the two of you had breakfast yet? Your key-card's good for it."

Fang glanced down at her satchel. "We were just wondering about that..."

Alice waved for them both to follow, and they all began to make their way over towards the elevators. "That's one of the things I love about this hotel chain; there's no fuss or hassle about amenities... You pay for the right card, and you get everything you need." She pressed the button beside one of the elevators, before Thomas reached up to hold her other hand.

Lightning glanced down at Odin, at the way he was snuggled up in her arms. "Sorry, buddy..." She reached for the opening of her satchel, and almost sighed when he started to wiggle about, but before long, he let her set him down inside. "I just don't think that they'd be too happy about you being in the building."

Fang smiled. "...I don't think anyone was about to stress the 'no-pet' policy with us last night."

Lightning glanced up when the elevator door rumbled open, and she soon followed after everyone, stepping inside. "Was Odin well-behaved?"

Alice nodded, and she glanced at the set of buttons, even though both of her hands were occupied. "Yes, he was very polite... C'mon kids, I need to press the button."

Sam reached out to point at the one for the ground floor. "Is this it?"

"Yes..." Alice watched both of her children try to press the button at the same time, until they eventually settled on pressing it twice. "What do the two of you want for breakfast?"

Sam grinned. "The paper said they've got blueberry muffins!"

Thomas nodded. "And banana."

Sam shook her head. "Eww... Who wants to eat _banana_ muffins? It'd be gross..."

Thomas shook his head as well. "They aren't gross."

"They _sound_ gross!" Sam jumped up and down until the elevator reached the ground floor, though she kept holding on to her mother's hand, until they all started to file out into the entryway. "They sound really gross, so they'd better still have blueberry."

As she listened to the children squabble, Fang tried not to laugh.

Alice led them both down the hall, and it almost seemed like she was tuning out the ensuing debate over muffin varieties, but once the whole group had reached a rather large archway, one which led towards the scents of many, _many_ different kinds of food, she glanced down at her children and smiled. "I don't think you'll have to worry about what they have."

The cafeteria itself looked to be quite densely packed, although most of the patrons were only chatting among themselves quietly, or sipping from mugs of hot beverages just to wake themselves up for the day.

As she looked over the aisles of food, Sam's eyes went wide. "What kind of bagels are those? They look weird!"

Alice shrugged, guiding them on, before she turned around to smile at Fang and Lightning. "If the two of you would like to sit with us-"

Fang walked up beside her. "Of course... I was gonna mention something about today, anyway." She waved for Lightning to catch up. "Light and I, we decided that we'd like take you up on seeing this... 'Historical cave thing'."

Lightning nodded. "We're probably going to head out of town tonight, but I wanted to see this before we go." She glanced over at a rack of plastic trays, before she reached for one of her own, walking down towards the cafeteria line. "This is a whole lot of food..."

Alice stepped up as well. "I think we got here early." She took two trays, one for herself and one for the children, who weren't quite tall enough to reach the metal counter themselves. "Sam, Thomas, just tell me if you see something you'd like... But you have to actually eat it, okay? It's very rude to take more than you can finish."

"I want one of the bagels!" Sam pointed them out. "They look all swirly and weird!"

Lightning looked over at the baked goods in question, but she kept walking on down the rows of various foods, until she had reached a basket with pieces of fresh fruit.

Fang walked up beside her, holding a tray of her own. "Light, I think our pancakes are over there, somewhere." She reached down for what looked to be a thin slice of cornbread. "I mean, they've gotta keep it warm somehow, probably heated with something."

Lightning moved to pick up a couple of bread-rolls, although she ignored the container with little packets of butter and jam. "Hey, can you hear them cooking bacon in the back?" She pointed over at the wide, double-doors which most likely led out to the kitchen, due to the employees walking in and out with large containers of food. "It's got a real distinct sound."

Fang shrugged. "I can hear people talking, all sorts of stuff being cooked... You've got better ears." She slowly started to smile, nudging Lightning's shoulder. "Don't forget to get Odin something."

Lightning nodded, before she moved down towards the aisles with heated food, and before long, she caught sight of what they had long-since been searching for, a wide, piled stack of pancakes. "Would you look at that..."

Fang grinned, and she reached for a pair of serving tongs, quickly stacking down several pancakes against her plate. "Jackpot."

"I haven't had these in _ages_..." Lightning began to take some as well, before she reached for the spoon in a container of pale, whipped butter, setting a bit down atop the pancakes. "Think there's syrup-" She suddenly caught sight of the translucent jug, heated within its own spot on the counter. "There."

The pair of them began to take turns, pouring rather generous amounts of it onto their plates. Once they had finished and moved on, Lightning only paused to pick out a few links of sausage, and then a single strip of bacon, while Fang did the same, although she also took a bottle of water for both of them.

As they approached the end of the aisles, Lightning looked over her shoulder, to where Alice and her children were still picking out what they wanted for breakfast.

"...You seem to be tolerating the kids."

Lightning looked away. "They're pretty well-behaved, I'll give them that." She set down her tray on a nearby counter for a moment, waiting for the trio to catch up. "And they haven't started getting on my nerves, so that helps."

Fang shrugged. "Kids just have their ups and downs, like everyone else." She set down her tray as well. "They're just tiny adults... Only they don't have a whole lot of practice, yet.""

"I didn't even care much for kids when _I_ was a kid..." Lightning glanced out over the cafeteria, at all the various people, and then at the members of each different table, how some of them looked just like families, some not. "It felt like... Nothing was serious, and nobody took anyone seriously, _especially_ if you were young."

Fang leaned a bit closer. "Then, maybe... You could try to show something different to _these_ kids? Show them that someone can take what they say seriously?"

Lightning shrugged, turning to face her food. "...We'll probably never meet them again after today."

"Does that really matter?" Fang gazed at the way Lightning's shoulders went tense, and she reached out to gently hold her arm. "You've been doing real well around people again... Just, maybe try to talk to them about the place we're going, or try to tell them what you learned from that school report."

"...It was years ago." Lightning reached for the sides of her tray. "I've probably forgotten almost everything from it."

Fang smiled. "Do what you can."

It was only a moment later that Alice walked up, herding both of her children along with her. "Did you the two of you find things you like?"

Fang nodded. "It's perfect."

Alice lifted one of the trays towards at the cashier stand, which was standing at the end of the food aisles. "Now we just have to go and let them ring us up, then swipe the room cards."

Sam stood on her tiptoes, pointing at a stack of plastic jugs. "Look, they have chocolate milk!"

"You already have regular milk." Alice glanced at the cup on the tray. "If you finish the regular one first, and still feel thirsty, you can get one of those."

Sam almost started to frown at her mother and protest, but Alice had already walked on towards the cashier. Thomas kept close to her side, although he kept glancing up at their food, as if he could hardly wait to pay and find a table.

It was a quick process, however, because the cashier was able to ring up everything they had chosen quite fast, and it only took a few swipes of the card through a terminal, before they were all able to move out towards the tables and find a place to sit.

"Oh, look, there's one at the window!" Sam ran off towards the table, and once she reached it, hopped up and down. "Mom, mom! This one!"

Alice walked over with their trays, before she set them down on the table. "Hey, did you see the cactus outside?"

Sam raced up to sit on one of the chairs, and she pressed her nose up against the windowpane. "Why is it fuzzy? It doesn't look spiky at all!"

"Some cactuses are fuzzy..." Alice sat down, smiling when Fang and Lightning took their seats on the opposite side of the table. "Or is the plural 'cacti'? ...I can never remember."

Fang shrugged, immediately digging into her pancakes with a fork. "Probably works either way."

Thomas reached for one of the glasses of milk. "I don't like cactuses."

Sam tapped her fingers against the window. "That one's fuzzy, you might like it."

He only shrugged.

Lightning moved her fork and knife against the pancakes, cutting off a bite to eat, before she glanced over at the children, Thomas in particular. "Why don't you like cactuses?"

"Because they're spiky." Thomas reached for a piece of toast. "It's _mean_... All those needles, they look like they really hurt."

Lightning took a bite of pancake. "It's because water is very scarce out in the desert... Wouldn't you want to protect your water, if you were a cactus?"

Thomas looked over at the window. "Protect my water?"

"Inside the middle of a cactus, it's mostly water." Lightning reached down for her satchel to slip a chunk of sausage over to Odin, who had gobbled it down within seconds. "Lots of animals in the desert would hurt the cactus if they were able to, so it _needs_ those needles to keep them from getting its water."

"Oh..." Thomas glanced down at his plate. "Then I guess it works."

Alice reached over her plate to cut apart a piece of fruit for Sam. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask, are the two of you going to be alright with traveling out there?" She looked up at Fang and Lightning. "When you don't have a car..."

"We'll do fine with running." Fang took a bite of cornbread. "I mean, the concern's appreciated, but we've basically been living out in the _jungle_ for two years... It's gonna take a lot more than the environment to get us down."

"I just can't _imagine_..." Alice moved back to her own meal. "Were the two of you really all alone out there? It wasn't lonely?"

Lightning glanced up at each of them, at the mother and her children, before she glanced back at her plate, and at the satchel upon her lap. "We were alone for the most part, but... Fang, she's my girlfriend, so we didn't get too lonely." When Alice didn't even change her expression at such a statement, Lightning felt the knot in her chest start to unfurl, and she breathed a soft, silent sigh, then kept speaking. "We're headed back north again, to see our family... We really did miss them, but we needed some time alone."

Sam kept munching at a bagel. "She's your girlfriend?"

Alice reached over to pat the top of Sam's head. "Girls can be girlfriends, too."

Lightning closed her eyes for a moment, until she felt Fang's hand brush against her own, holding it gently.

Alice gestured at the window. "If we were headed in the same direction, I'd offer you both a ride in the van again." She started to cut up another piece of fruit, only for Thomas. "But if you're _sure_ that you'll be alright out there..."

"We'll stick to the highway." Fang nodded towards the window, at the dusty road beyond. "We've got a canteen for water, but worst comes to worst, we could always just break open a cactus..."

Thomas couldn't help but start to laugh, and Sam grinned, despite her mouth still being full of bagel.

Lightning began to squeeze Fang's hand in her own, before she lifted her free hand, moving back to the pancakes. "...I think we're going to be fine."

"You two sound like you'll take good care of each other." Alice smiled at them. "And little Odin, he'll keep you safe."

Sam looked up, and then she giggled at the sight of the tiny kitten, who had stuck out both of his paws from the satchel, attempting to grip at another piece of meat.

Lightning cut off another chunk of sausage, and then lifted it to Odin's mouth. "I think he will... He's our little good luck charm, isn't he?""

Odin swallowed the piece almost without chewing it, before he kept batting his paws in the air for more.

"A very _hungry_ luck charm..." Alice waved her index finger at him. "You'd better keep him fed to keep the good luck going."

Slowly, Lightning felt the corners of her mouth tug upward, and before she knew it, she was smiling, then reaching for another little morsel to feed Odin.

* * *

A strong wind swept through the grass, and it made each of the tiny flowers flutter against each other, spreading out a haze of pollen across the field.

Two figures sat beside the water's edge, although one had his eyes open, while the other, hers were tightly closed.

"You just have to focus on changing the inner shape, first..." It was Hope's mouth that was moving, but the tone itself was quite different, belonging only to Three. "If you make the bones become a single thing... Each leg is connected to the spine, right? You just have to make it all one unit."

Four's voice drifted out, almost a whisper. "I'm trying."

Three nodded. "Okay." He started to look aside, staring down into the water. "It's really not as hard as it first sounds..." Three had already shifted his host's legs into a longer, more streamlined form, and at his hands, he could see the thin webbing between his fingertips, which had become much longer as well. "Take a break if you have to."

Four shook her head back and forth. "...I can do it."

Three slowly shrugged. "Okay."

Four started to concentrate even further, trying to manipulate the carapace as she had always done, but once she reached the point of bones and muscles beneath, things that belonged to her host... It just felt so much harder to access.

She suddenly tensed, shivering beneath the sensation of her own form, which was rapidly traveling down through the body of her host, until it had fully integrated within the center of each of her legs.

"I can see it..." Three moved himself forward with both hands, pushing his tail against dirt to help himself get closer. "You're doing it... It's changing!"

Four kept her eyes clamped shut, but once it felt as though each of the bones had fused, and then split again into shorter segments, and when the pain of her tail having detached itself became manageable, she slowly, carefully started to open her eyes.

It was a long, smooth surface, not quite comprised of carapace, but it was quite similar to some of her thicker skin, like the type that protected her neck. At one end, running down from upon her spine, several quills stuck out in a bushy line, all the way down to the forked, almost foot-like appendages at the very bottom of her tail.

Three turned towards the pond. "Now watch."

Four did watch, and she saw the way that Three's tail pushed itself off against the ground, sending him down off into the shallows, but what she didn't expect was sudden burst of water, the way he soon managed to send himself flying above the surface, propelled by a long, muscular tail.

With a deep, steadying breath, Four started to move, and soon slipped down into the pond, while her tail swiveled back and forth, pushing her onward.

* * *

A/N: In a very early draft of Anomalies, one written for the time period of the last few chapters, (this was written before the group had even started escaping the lab,) I wrote down a scene, one where Dysley was sitting in some sort of lavish room somewhere with Yaag Rosch, listening in on the radio system that his active forces were using, except that one by one, _by one_... Each line of communication was somehow getting cut off abruptly, until suddenly... There was a sound outside the door.

The plan back then, I was preparing for Fang to be the one to end Dysley's life, _(after convincing Lightning not to harm Cid, of course)_ but later on, while the rest of the story progressed and Anima spontaneously came into existence, I realized that the entire thing would be much more poetic if it went down like this: The fact that Lightning had spared Rosch's life earlier on, that her making that choice would eventually cause a chain reaction _(again, butterfly effect)_ and later cause him to become instrumental in the downfall of Dysley's reign.

It would be a large part of her redemption, a distant echo from the time she had managed to hold back and let him escape, and unknowingly take the future away from her greatest threat later on... It was part of the overall message, of how causing more bloodshed just wasn't the answer that Fang wanted, and how it had almost become her duty to make the final push, to make Lightning decide between losing herself to everything that she wasn't able to control, or deciding to trust in her friends, and even to trust herself.

Afterwards, even before I considered writing this sequel, _(which you can still thank my mom for nagging me to do this in the first place,)_ I had a mini-headcanon that upon Fang and Light's eventual departure from Gran Pulse, that they would come back northward only to find that the country basically went to hell beneath Cid's takeover. (Not as a product of his intentions, but simply that the Calvary had never run an entire nation before.)

I quickly scrapped the idea once I started writing the actual story, though, because I started thinking that if a suspected coup did happen to go down , that there would _definitely_ be a number of checks and balances to prevent someone taking advantage of that sudden vacuum in power... But I still like to mull over the idea of the two of them coming home, only to realize that 'home' isn't all that 'homey' anymore.

Although, the idea itself is much too depressing for the story I wanted to tell this time around... And my mom just _had_ to have me write about her goddamn fictional grandchildren, because I sure as hell won't be gracing her with any of my own in the future...


	30. Chapter 30

"Look, look! It's the fuzzy one!" Sam raced up to look at the little cactus, which was resting just beside the edge of the path path. "Is it okay to touch it?"

Alice looked over as well, before she lifted her wrist against her forehead, blocking out the long, warm rays of sunlight. "...I wouldn't take any chances."

Behind them, Lightning soon stepped out from within the entryway, but when she walked out from the automatic doors, she almost immediately felt the long, billowing waves of heat wash out over her skin, as if to show her just how effective the hotel air-conditioning had been inside. "Alright..." She then turned to face the building again, just to savor the last few gusts of cooler temperature, before she looked back, stepping out beneath the sun.

Fang had walked out as well, holding her water-bottle in one hand, while she used her other to shield her eyes. "Hot one, today..."

Lightning nodded. "At least the air is dry... I'd bet we can walk there if it isn't too far."

Thomas reached up to hold his mother's hand. "I can walk, too."

Alice looked off to the side. "Sam, are you okay with walking?"

Sam had knelt down to pet her hands along the sides of the cactus, giggling at the way it tickled her skin. "Yeah!"

Lightning stepped out along the path, before she saw a wide, wooden signpost, one that had a map beneath the glass. "Let's look at this." She moved over to examine the lines, the ones which indicated roads, or even footpaths, and after a brief moment, she found the marker that indicated the place that they were looking for. "There, Whitestone Cave... Cocoon Historical Society; _point of interest_."

"Let's go, let's go!" Sam ran up beside her to point at the map, gesturing at everything she could reach. "C'mon, let's go!"

Lightning looked down at Sam, at how she seemed to start jumping up and down at even the slightest hint of excitement... And for a moment, Lightning was almost reminded of the past, of her own little sister, back when they were younger.

"Okay, okay!" Alice walked up to the map, even while Thomas was still holding on to her hand. "Let's see... Oh, it's actually not too far."

Fang had walked up as well. "Yeah, just across town... Small place, isn't it?"

Lightning glanced over to the opposite side of the road, and she looked at the dusty clay buildings lined up next to each other. "...Quaint." She soon caught sight of a river flowing behind some houses, and the creaking wooden mill that was slowly turning within the current. "Should be just east of here." She started walking towards a nearby dirt path, one that ran just beside the road itself, but Lightning was almost surprised when Sam raced up next to her, keeping pace with each and every step she took. "...Wouldn't you rather walk with your mother?"

Sam shrugged. "Thomas is walking with her." It seemed like she couldn't stop looking at all the different buildings, and then at all the various plants that grew on the side of the path, nearly all of which were well suited for such a dry climate. "Oh, look! Look at that one!"

Lightning looked over at a tall, branching cactus, one which definitely had long, sharp needles. "I wouldn't try to pet it..."

Sam shook her head back and forth. "It's a spiky one."

"Smart kid..." Lightning pointed at different plant. "Do you know what this one is?"

Sam took a long look at the small, flowering plant, before she shook her head again.

"Look at the sides." Lightning gestured at the wide, greenish sections, which had a soft, reddish color at the tip. "See how thick the leaves are? Plants like that are called succulents, and they use the same sort of idea that a cactus has, to store as much water as they can... Cacti are succulents, too."

"But, that one doesn't have spikes..." Sam looked back at the cactus. "How do _they_ protect their water?"

"Most of them are pretty prickly in their own right..." Lightning gestured at the tiny spines on the end of each leaf. "But not all of them have that, so I think it's safe to say that they get eaten more often." She paused when the two of them came upon a fork in the road, but when she looked back, Fang, Alice and Thomas were still quite a ways behind them. "I didn't even realize we had gone ahead..."

"Mom's always so _slow!"_ Sam bounced up and down. "Thomas can go fast, but he goes too slow sometimes, too..."

"...It's alright to take things slow." Lightning glanced over at the side of the path again. "Hey, look back over there; do you see how many plants we didn't talk about?" She looked at the tiny vines, sprawling out against the dusty earth, and then then tiny, flowering buds, which grew out from within the ground. "We skipped past more than a few just to get here."

Sam stood up on her tiptoes to look. "But... We can always go back to see them!"

Lightning almost smiled. "I guess we can..." She waited for Fang to move into earshot, before she started to walk over as well. "Sorry, didn't realize we left you guys behind."

"Nah, we were just talking..." Fang grinned at them both. "You having a good time, kiddo?"

Sam nodded. "Those plants, they're called succulents!" She pointed towards the side of the road. "Cactuses, they're succulents too."

Fang shrugged. "...Sounds about right."

Alice soon walked up with Thomas, and she waved at the group. "You all have so much energy..." She smiled and shook her head. "Old women like me, we just don't have the same sort."

"You aren't old!" Sam hopped up to stand beside her. "Well, you're _old_, but not old!"

Alice reached down to ruffle Sam's hair. "I'm glad you think so."

Sam rolled her eyes, but she quickly took hold of her mother's hand. "...We'll stay together."

Alice chuckled under her breath. "Okay."

They kept on down the pathway, following the various signs that server to lead them throughout the town, but when the clay buildings started to become closer and closer to each other, Sam found herself unable to look away from the road-side shops, and then some of the various confection stands, most of which had people cooking things at that very moment, even out in the open.

"Oh, look at that!" Sam started to point at a man who was stirring a massive metal skillet above an open fire, and beside him, she could see that other people were pushing down the still-sizzling food into containers, while a single man was selling each package directly to the crowd. "Look, he's cooking outside, just like barbecue!"

Lightning's felt her nose twitch at the scent, although her stomach still felt more than full enough from breakfast. "It does smell pretty good."

Fang inhaled as well, and she had an almost dreamy look in her eyes. "Smells _amazing_..."

Lightning nudged her wrist against Fang's shoulder. "We just had breakfast."

Fang smiled. "Doesn't make it smell any less good."

Sam reached up to point at another stall. "Hey, what's that?"

She had pointed at a smaller group of people, most of which were busy rolling out large clumps of dough into round, flatter shapes, while some of the others were pouring a combination of fruit and syrup inside the dough which had already been baked, filling it up with the concoction, then frying the folded product atop a wide, fire-lit grill.

Alice shrugged. "Some sort of crepes?" After a moment of watching the process, she led both of her children back through the crowd, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Fang and Lightning were following. "Maybe we can all get lunch here, later today..."

Lightning looked down to see that Odin's nose was poking out from her satchel, and that he was sniffing away at all the different scents.

After a while of silent walking, Fang started to speak up. "Hey, do you think the rest of them will want to see this?" She nodded back towards where the hotel was. "Out here, it's not the sort of stuff you see everyday..."

Alice tried to smile. "Oh, well, you know... Teenagers, they always have their moods, and both of them were being so cooperative, back down at the beach." She glanced up above the crowds, following each of the signs that pointed them onward. "I mean, there was no looking at their phones every other minute, barely any grumpy mood swings... So right now, I'm not going to push the issue; they're probably all tuckered out from actually _interacting_ with their family."

Fang chuckled a bit. "It's a rough time to go through..."

Sam jumped up and shook her head. "I'm not gonna be grumpy! It sounds dumb and boring!" She moved to point at one of the signs, one which showed the image of a cave opening. "We're almost there, right?"

Lightning leaned over to whisper in Fang's direction. "Hyper little thing, isn't she?"

Fang only smiled.

They all walked on, past the many rows of market stalls, out into more open terrain, where finally, a tall ridge stood tall before the little town, one with the eponymous, pale color; the upper ridges were almost large enough to be named a mountainside, but each towering chunk of stone was only the very brightest shade of white, so much that it almost hurt to look at for too long.

"_Wow!_" Sam ran on ahead, jumping up and down, waving for everyone to follow. "Just look, _look!_ It's just like the stories!"

Lightning stared up at the massive formation, at the long, nearly crystalline chunks of rock that rose up from a more weathered exterior, and slowly, she started to walk forward, taking it all in.

Several uniformed individuals were walking around the outer grounds, surely on close watch for more troublesome individuals, the ones more likely to try and leave graffiti or carvings on the landmark, but when Lightning and the rest of her group approached the inner pathway, none of the guards seemed to take much notice of them.

Sam grew very, _very_ quiet as they traveled beneath the cave itself, but she still glanced around without pause, looking up at each and every bit of translucent rock, and even at the more marble-like structures, all naturally rising from the earth.

When Lightning suddenly caught sight of the main chamber, she paused, standing down at the low, unlit hall, which had only a single feature within.

It was yet another stone, quite like all the others, but it was alone within the center of the cave; atop the gleaming minerals, they could see a short, yet fearsome sword, one which had once been thrust down, sunken into the rock itself, and it bore an ancient line of text within the steel.

Lightning didn't even glance at the nearby attendants of the shrine, she found herself almost drifting, soon crouched down just beside the stone, if only to read aloud the words engraved within the rock, the phrases she knew so close to heart, still echoing inside her memory.

_Son of Etro_

_Once a hunter, born to the new land; the cold, desolate world_

_Orion, fleet of heart, now Odin, stalwart, of purpose_

_Our oath to shield the masses  
_

_Divine Etro, guide our path_

Fang knelt down as well, gazing at the text. "You can read that..? It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before."

"It's... Very early Cocoonic." Lightning looked over to see one of the children move beside her, and she saw that Sam was trying to read it as well. "I don't know how to read anything other than this; I just know it by memory."

Sam stared down at the wide, white rock, before she looked up at the silver sword, which was almost embedded up to the hilt. "What does that say?" She pointed out the engravings, though she didn't dare touch the blade itself.

Lightning looked up at the short, yet deadly weapon. "Most of it's beneath the rock, but the first word there is 'Orion'." She glanced up along the handle of the weapon, and at the golden filigree within the pommel. "Orion, some say it was Odin's birth-name, before he took his oath as a knight."

Thomas moved up as well, sitting at Lightning's other side."But why did he leave his sword here?"

"This was his hunting knife." Lightning almost smiled at their expressions. "You _needed_ a big one back then... There weren't many laws to keep people safe out there, even from each other... So it could double as a defensive weapon." She stared down into the steel, along the edge, still razor-like from a lack of exposure to the elements. "Most stories says he left it here to symbolize his new name, and his new _life_... All because of that oath he took."

"But... It's such a cool sword!" Sam frowned, glancing around at the rest of the cavern. "Why not just take it with him? It can't do _anything_ in a cave!"

Lightning shook her head. "He got a new sword... I think that one's in a museum, somewhere." She slowly started to stand up again, though her gaze still lingered on the stone carvings. "But, this... This place was where Odin and all his knights would take their oaths."

Fang leaned back, glancing up at the ceiling, into the long, flowing swirls of natural erosion; the white stone had long-since mixed with other minerals, and even in the low light, the colors were both vibrant and strong.

Lightning took a long moment just to stare at the sword, before she slowly began to turn, facing the entrance itself. "I'm really glad we saw it."

Fang nodded. "It's nice to see where our Odin got his name from..." She smiled at the sudden appearance of a white paw, which was sticking out from Lightning's satchel, occasionally taking a solid whack at the fabric. "...Though it's probably not a good idea to let him out in here."

Lightning looked down, then reached over to gently push Odin's paw back inside, but it had reappeared almost immediately, poking back at her fingers.

Thomas soon stood up to dust away the dirt from his pants. "Hey, can we go look at the stuff outside? The rocks out there looked really cool, too."

Alice finally started to speak."Of course." She kept her voice low, so that it wouldn't echo against the cave walls. "This place is beautiful, isn't it?"

Sam ran up to her side. "Yeah! I wanna see outside again, too!"

Thomas walked up as well. "Are you okay, mom?"

Alice nodded. "Just reminiscing..."

Sam reached up to hold her hand. "What does that mean?"

"Remembering... Thinking things over in my head." Alice turned to smile at them both. "Now, why don't the two of you tell Lightning 'thank you' for translating the words?"

Lightning glanced away when the children spoke their thanks, but she briefly nodded at them, and then started to follow each of them out from the cave.

Fang walked up to at Lightning's side, before she started to travel beside her, reaching down for her hand. "I'm really glad we saw this, too."

Lightning felt their fingertips brush together, so she looked down, before she took hold of Fang's hand and squeezed it gently. "...When do you want to head out? I'm not sure how much time the hotel card has."

Alice spoke up from ahead. "Until tomorrow at noon, so if you'd to rest up some more, feel free." She started to lead her children out into the sun again, between the many towering spires of natural rock, then off to the side, to examine the overall formation itself.

Lightning looked up at the stony ridge, and she almost felt her chest twinge, breathing deeply from the warm, dry air. "It doesn't... It doesn't really look like this could have happened naturally, but in some ways, it does."

She could see that twisting curve of stone stood solidly, without any cracks, or even much erosion at the surface level, but when Lightning looked closer, tracing her fingertip just above the translucent rock...

It was just a small, unassuming pattern at first, simple and spiraling, yet as each line went on, and each branch split off into the next, it grew larger and lager, widening out, even into a third dimension, just beneath the outer surface. She looked up, gazing at the next formation of stone, and it became clear that it was the very same pattern that kept flowing onward.

With a small, yet sudden realization, she knew exactly what it was.

The entire outer landmark, it was all one huge, branching fractal.

* * *

Vanille spun down beneath the murky surface, creating a thick train of bubbles in her wake, yet she never slowed, never even paused to stop her body from searing off throughout the water... Except to breathe, or course, but that was for when she'd leap out towards the sky, drawing in a deep, gasping breath each time she'd soar.

Four had long since used up her turn, her share of control, and without much coaxing, Vanille had quickly started to learn the more finer features of swimming, almost as if on instinct.

But all of it seemed to pale when Hope suddenly rose up as well, skimming his entire body across the gentle waves, before he disappeared beneath the surface once more.

Vanille sank down to watch the swell of water, evening out as it fanned across the pond, but once it had died down into tiny, singular ripples, Vanille herself dove back down, intent on chasing after her companion.

Hope circled in place, swimming down beneath a sunken tree, one which had grown quite hollow from so many years beneath the surface. He took a brief moment to examine all the tiny, glimmering fish that were using the wood as shelter, nestled inside each of the little nooks and gaps within the wood. Hope swam a bit closer, until he could reach out and touch the bark of the tree, which almost felt spongy beneath his claws.

Something brushed up against his side, breaking his concentration, but before Hope could even think to jump and panic, Vanille's face drifted into view. He could see each of her curly horns, but they almost looked a bit longer, even a bit closer to her head, as if to keep them from causing resistance against the flow of water.

Vanille pointed upward, before she flicked her tail back and forth.

Hope slowly started to nod, and when Vanille rose up, causing a ripple of water to billow out behind, he followed suit, rising, moving his tail up and down, until they had both broken to the surface with a gasp.

Vanille took a sharp inhale, breathing as deeply as she could possibly manage, even though her lungs had long-since expanded with the change. She merely drifted for a while, just to breathe, and to feel the sensation air again, even though she was up to her neck in water. "_Wow_... I've never been able to hold my breath for this long."

"Yeah." Hope had leaned off to the side, floating on his back. "It's like... Being a seal, or something."

Vanille glanced over at Hope's tail, at the long, silver spines that ran down from his back, on to the very end of his tail, beside his tiny, tail-like feet. "They even look like seal-tails..." She brought up her own tail, positioning it just above the water, and she found that she could count each claw at the end of the flippery appendage, although they were hardly long enough to do any real damage anymore. "Have you ever seen seals, at an aquarium?"

Hope nodded. "I've been to a couple... Never seen anything like _us_ in there, though."

Vanille started to giggle, and she brought both of her arms up to hug around her tail; even though the gesture it made her body sink just a little bit, her entire figure was much more buoyant than before. "But who would put _us_ in an aquarium? We'd just jump back out from the tank and walk home... Or go raid the gift-shop for stuffed animals, first."

Hope laughed as well. "...Or, we could hide under something and then swim out, scare the people who weren't paying attention."

Vanille flicked the end of her tail against the tiny waves, making more ripples in the water. "But we wouldn't want to scare them _too_ much! Then they might tap on the glass, and that wouldn't be any good at all."

Hope rolled his eyes. "I think you might be putting too much thought into something that'll never even happen..."

"But it's _fun_ to imagine..." Vanille leaned back as well, floating within the ebb and flow of each wave. "Sometimes... I wonder what would've happened if we didn't escape the lab, back then, where we'd be, what we'd be doing."

Hope slowly glanced up at the sky, at the pale, cloud-covered sun, which had risen half-way across the sky. "Well, I still think we would've escaped, eventually... I'm just not sure what else might have happened." After a moment, he let his eyes fall shut. "Maybe we'd all be living out in the wild, hiding from them..."

Vanille shrugged. "I think we would've gone back out eventually; Fang told me, before they went to Gran Pulse... She told me that Lightning tried to run away, once she was able to get out of the fire... But then Fang was able to call for her and track her down; she said that Light really didn't want to go back at first, not until she reminded her about Serah."

Hope opened his eyes a bit. "I'm real glad we met Serah... She really helped us yesterday." He started to trail his claws beneath the water's surface, staring down at each bit of webbing between his fingers. "It... It _scared_ me when they fought; I was so scared that they might hurt each other, even worse than what happened."

"...I was scared too." Vanille couldn't help but glance over at the shore, and she could still picture the rapid strikes, the raw, unbridled anger that had been coursing through her veins. "A while ago, maybe about a week or so before today... I went hunting, out in the woods."

"Hunting?" Hope turned to face her. "For animals?"

Vanille started to nod. "I brought some peanut-butter with me, and then put it on the ground, and after a while, a squirrel came over to eat some of it... But then, it was like something took over me, and I was _biting_ down on it, and it _felt_..." She trailed off, feeling the wind brush over her hair, across the silent pond. "It felt _right_, kind of like what Fang sometimes talks about, how she and Light would go and hunt... But I'd never felt it so strongly before."

"...I've never felt it at all." Hope stared down at his hands. "I mean, when they'd bring back stuff for us, I'd eat it because I was hungry... But everyone else always seemed to get this look in their eyes, though I'd never really feel it myself."

"It might be a good thing." Vanille let her tail drift back down, beneath the surface. "It's pretty scary, too."

Hope looked over at her face, at the distant look to her gaze, before he glanced back towards the edge of the pond, where the river flowed out into the larger body of water, and then moved on down towards the other side.

"It's like... You can't do anything to stop it, even if you try." Vanille paused for just a moment, before her voice went very quiet. "Even if you wanted to... It just grabs hold so _tight_, and it won't let go."

Hope kept quiet for a while. "Sounds like what happened yesterday."

Vanille looked away. "It does, doesn't it..?"

* * *

Lightning stepped out between each of the souvenir stands, between the rows and rows of trinkets, clothing and hats, and even the fresh-cut tropical flowers, all wrapped in many ribbons, but even with everything to look at, her eyes were honed in on only one thing... At the way Fang was staring down at one of the stalls with a _very_ serious look on her face.

"We should really save our money for essentials."

"Just a second, Light."

Lightning nearly grit her teeth. "_Fang_." She couldn't possibly tell what Fang was looking at within the wide pile of trinkets, bits and baubles, but upon second glace, most of the products looked like the fare any other tourist trap, though perhaps a bit higher in quality than the overall standard. "...Are you even listening?"

"Now now, just hold your horses..." Fang began to gently drum her fingertips against the counter-top, which was covered by a wide, woven tablecloth. "I never that said I was going to buy anything; I'm just looking."

Lightning started to sigh. "No, I _know_ that look... And the whole _'I'm a Yun' _speech isn't going to work out here."

"Light, just calm down." Fang glanced away from the stall, and then quickly stepped over to stand beside her, whispering just under her breath. "I was trying to see if those little crystal things are real or not... Now, the trick is to _not_ watch the attendant try to _not_ watch you, and then see if he starts getting nervous or not." She suddenly squeezed the side of Lightning's shoulder, and then raised her voice back to normal, striding down the road once more. "So, how about lunch? I'd bet if we can catch up with the folks again..."

Lightning followed after her. "...You had me fooled for a moment."

"Nah, it's all in fun..." Fang smiled a little. "Especially if you see a sign outside the damn cave that says how illegal it is to pick up fallen rocks..."

Lightning frowned. "Did the ones back there look real?"

Fang shook her head. "Probably the same sort of mineral, but definitely imported... They were just too perfect looking, like a machine had split them apart."

Lightning glanced around at the winding streets, at the colorful umbrellas that sheltered the market stands and even some of the outdoor food stalls, but when she soon caught sight of a familiar face within the crowd, she paused, and slowly waved her hand.

"Oh there you are!" Alice walked up to them with her children in tow, holding something in her own hands. "I was almost worried that you'd taken off for the day..."

Fang smiled. "Nah, we'll probably use the room again for one more night... Then hit the road tomorrow." She lifted her wrist to brush away a bit of sweat from her brow, staring up along the midday sun. "I'm _really_ gonna miss that air-conditioner."

Alice smiled, nodding. "It might be better to try traveling at night, when it's cooler." She waved for both of them to follow, but when Lightning looked down, she noticed that Thomas and Sam were each munching away at some sort of long, braided cinnamon bread.

"Now just look at how much they'll pack in these..." Alice stepped towards one of the public tables, and when she sat down to open the box that she had been carrying, the strong, savory scent of grilled vegetables and rice drifted out, mingling in with all the other scents of the marketplace. "I made sure to ask for a few extra plates; I could _never_ finish all of this in one sitting." She gestured for Lightning and Fang to sit down at the table. "Would either of you like some?"

Fang moved to lean back in one of the chairs, and she nodded. "Only if you're sure you can't eat it all..." She smiled when Alice doled out quite a bit of rice, complete with vegetables and chicken. "I'm starting to feel _real_ glad we fixed up your car."

Lightning nudged at Fang's shoulder, although she soon sat down as well. "..._'We'?_"

Fang started to roll her her eyes, before she reached out to accept the plate from Alice. "Semantics, Light... I'm sure not gonna look any gift horses in the mouth."

Lightning rolled her eyes right back at Fang, but she nodded when Alice handed her an identical plate. "Thank you..." She soon looked back at Fang. "When _we_ get back to Bodhum, I'm teaching _you_ how to repair things like that... If we ever do get a car, I don't want to have to come out and save the day if it decides to stop working for some reason."

Fang scooped up a spoonful of rice. "Sounds great, actually."

Lightning started to lean back in her seat as well, taking a few bites of her rice, but when she decided to glance over at the pair of children, she quickly noticed just how silent they had become, and that they were both still trying to work their way through the long, chewy cinnamon bread. "...Clever choice."

With a smile, Alice winked at her.

Fang looked over at the nearby food stands, before she closed her eyes, listening to the constant sound of utensils clashing against steel, and all the various people calling out orders, even the many types of sizzling, cooking food. "...I think I could get used to a place like this." She opened her eyes to look back over at Lightning, but she herself seemed more than a little lost in thought. "Hey, if we're ever back in this neck of the woods, I'd say that we should stop back to get some lunch."

Lightning started to nod, but her gaze was drifting out towards the horizon, up to the lone, soaring creature, circling far above the outskirts of town. Her vision almost began to blur, but the constant motion, the dark, graceful eagle that simply soared, gliding off against the rising thermals...

"Light, you okay?"

She almost startled, glancing back down at her companions, at the look of concern on Fang's face, more so at the way her fingertips were twitching... Lightning tried to nod at, before she looked back down at the plate in her own hands, trying to still the tiny movements. "Yeah... I'm alright."

Before long, the conversation went numb in her ears once more, and she soon found herself looking back up at the sky... But the creature was gone, having flown somewhere far out of sight.

* * *

Long, glimmering rays of sunset drifted in from behind the curtains, though upon the fluffy blankets, even with Odin purring against her neck, Lightning could only stare off into the distance, gazing up at the ceiling above.

"So, I picked up a map of the regional territory, down at the front desk..." Fang was drying off her hair with a large, puffy towel, having just gotten out of the shower a few minutes ago. "Remember that river back in town? The highway actually follows it for a while, so we'll have something to drink once the canteen runs out." She shook the last few bits of water from her hair, and then slung the towel over her shoulder. "Light..? What's up with you? You're spacing out again."

Lightning blinked. "Sorry..." She reached up to scratch behind Odin's ears, and he started to purr even louder, snuggling up against her neck. "There's... There's been something very strange going on."

Fang walked over to the bed, then sat down beside her. "What sort of 'something'?"

Lightning shook her head. "I don't know; I think I had another dream last night, but I can't remember much of it." She looked away, until she felt Fang brush her fingertips beneath the curve of her chin. "I think I was dreaming about you... You were... I _think_ you were _flying_, but then you came over to see me."

Fang tried not to let her entire body go stiff.

"It was so strange, because I almost felt lucid-" Lightning tried to think back to what had happened. "But I couldn't control much of anything..." She looked up, then, at the wide, distant gaze in Fang's eyes. "...Fang?"

Fang closed her eyes for a moment. "This is gonna sound completely nuts."

Lightning took a deep breath. "Try me."

"I was... I was having almost the exact same sort of dream." Fang traced her fingertips over Lightning's cheek, and then moved them down to where Odin was resting, before she started to stroke along the back of his head. "That... That _could_ be a coincidence."

"It could." Lightning looked down at herself, trying to keep each breath steady. "But I think we're just a little too weird for most coincidences."

Beneath the wide, pale moon, she moves up from branch to branch, without a care in the world for gravity, height, or any such trifling matters.

Her claws scratch down against the ragged bark, against the smooth, winding branches, and even the twigs, bundling them up between the webbed thumb and the rest of her limb.

A lithe white body, and then a soft, pink nose, twitching, _smelling_... Then twitching again, before she can hear the sound of something large, something distant... And her long, pointed ears swivel back.

She is suddenly alight upon the wind, down against the rushing flow of air, and she plummets, falling, _quickly_, feeling the surge of wind in her hair, between each of her thumb-claws, until-

Her arms flare out with a snap, and the webbing, the soft, almost pinkish skin _catches_ it, tames the very air, claims it as her own... A personal tool, all for herself.

She flaps once, _higher_, racing up from beneath the trees, yet when she finally breaks through the canopy, to witness the full, glowing moon...

Another, there is _another_ in her sight; it's both massive and dark, but she knows... _Knows_ the face so very well.

Sharp, pointed claws drift down along the edge of her vision, yet they don't move to harm her; they only brush against her own feet, before the dark, larger shape ducks out of sight, to glide back beneath the trees.

Lightning _stares_, but she can only watch as the one she knows, the other, lands gently atop the edge of a branch.

* * *

She felt her eyes slide open to the dark. Lightning could hear the humming buzz of the air-conditioner, and then the soft, gentle breaths at the back of her neck, and then the sharp, yet subtle sound of her carapace extending.

"_What..?_" Lightning whispered, breathing under her breath, before she began to blink rapidly against the dark, until her night-vision lurched back into action. "_What-_"

They were there, just as clear as day; her claws were already all the way out, but she could only fully see the one on her thumb. Slowly, she tried to turn her wrist to the side, before she felt a sudden resistance at the edge of her elbow.

Lightning swore her heart had stopped.

There, where her fingertips should be, along the smooth, pale bend of carapace; her hands had almost seemed to grow, tapering out into longer, foldable digits... With a soft, white webbing stretched between each of them.


End file.
